Love Tutoring
by Emku
Summary: He is a school star, she is a nerd. They could not have been more different, but when their teacher makes her help him with Math, it is like a whole new world of emotions opens up in front of them... And - as it turns out - they both need a completely different kind of tutoring.
1. Lesson 1

I don't own Kuroko no Basuke or any of the original characters from the series. I do, however, own my OCs and this story that is a product of my sick imagination.

* * *

 **Lesson 1. "The beginning is the most important part of the work." - Plato**

It was half-past eight and already completely dark outside, except for a dim yet warm light of street lamps. An overcast, night sky looked like it was going to rain heavily at any moment and a merciless wind was trying to encroach into his apartment through the smallest apertures. It was the middle of November and the middle of the Winter Cups' games. The other day he had lost to Kuroko's basketball. And – surprisingly – he felt kind of relieved. Finally, there was someone who could stand up to him. Someone worth challenging, making an effort. And someone who opened up his eyes. Someone who remembered him how it used to be before he had changed into a complete asshole, making him miss it… Just a little bit.

He yawned and locked his gaze onto the girl, who was sitting next to him on the couch, bent over the Math book and few sheets of paper filled with some mathematical babble he did not understand. Well, maybe if he was at least trying to listen to the girl's explanation, he would get it.

Of course, there was another side of their loss in the first round of Winter Cup. Teachers in Tōō Academy mopped their scruples up and started to repay him for his boldness, absence, and sleeping on their lessons. His being-basketball-team's-ace-shelter disappeared right away with the chance of winning games and the mathematician was the worst. He was so stoked on blocking his way to a second grade, he ordered him to pass semester test on, at least, sixty-percent level. He did not believe in miracles, though, and made the best student in class help him, but the problem was he hardly got twenty-percent last time. What's more, he simply hated Math.

"And that's why you have to carry squared _x_ to the left side of the equation, see?", she pointed something with a pen, not even bothered to look at him. In fact, she did not look at him even once through all this time they spent in his apartment, being completely concentrated on the attempt to pour some knowledge into his empty head, ineffectively. Except that, she was ignoring him avowedly. It was annoying and made him want to tease her. "Can we proceed, Aomine-kun?"

"Uh-uh," mumbled he, still observing her closely. She was quite tall for a Japanese female, her height somewhere around 5'7''. She was skinny and had not so ample bosom (C-cup, he guessed), which was utterly disqualifying her as attractive to him. Her waist-length orange hair was wavy and loose with a ragged fringe and two side-strands twirled and tied up together at the back. She was wearing the Tōō female uniform, which consisted of black tights, dark skirt and matching blazer, V-neck ashen sweater and white shirt with a big red bow around her neck. Except for her height, there was absolutely nothing special about her. Even her first name, Rio, was plain. And on top of that, she was irritating him with her behavior. He wanted her to pay attention to him, not those stupid assignments.

"And it happens to be an empty set." The girl put down the pen. "Do you understand it now, Aomine-kun?"

Rio stretched and yawned, not bothering with covering her mouth. It was nine in the evening and she was fit to drop after the school, club classes, a short visit to a hospital, work in a restaurant and two hours of tutoring Aomine. Small tears of tiredness appeared in the corners of her eyes, so she wiped them away before looking at him when she did not get any answer, only to find Daiki's face so close to hers that their noses were almost touching.

"Not the least. Ya' see, Math is boring," stated he with a little smirk on his lips, seeing her peachy skin getting red and her eyes, which happened to be big and dark brown, almost black, opening widely. He had to admit, that they made her look cute. "I can think of a much more interesting way of spending our time here together…"

"A-aomi-mine-k-kun," she stuttered, not being able to look away. "I-I think I-I s-should be g-going ho-home."

When she tried to stand up, he grabbed her arm and leaned towards her, forcing her to lie down on the couch, bracing on elbows. She did not know what to do. She did not know what was going on. She was trembling. Her heart was pounding fast in her chest, cheeks and ears were burning with fire, she stopped breathing. And what was that strange sensation in her underbelly?

Daiki approached his face to hers again, making her lie down completely in order to find a way to escape him and – as a matter of fact – closing the last one with his hands shored up at both sides of Rio's head.

"Look, it's gonna rain in no time. Besides, ya' wanna go home now? It's already dark outside. I'll let you stay here with me."

"I-I w-will be f-fine on m-my own, s-so p-please–…"

Aomine ran his fingers through her hair and pressed his lips against hers, taking advantage of her mouth being opened as he slid his tongue inside, still looking into her eyes. At the first moment she was like frozen, only her eyes opened up a little bit wider, her face shocked and even redder than before. Then her mimics relaxed, lips moved slightly and…

He felt her hand on his cheek. The slap was so sudden and strong he recoiled, covering a red-mark with his hand. Rio took a chance and jumped off the couch, grabbing her schoolbag and running towards the door. She put on her shoes and black coat in a rush, not looking back at him even once. The door closed behind her with a loud thump.

Daiki had not moved an inch since then. He was kneeling on the couch, holding his burning cheek in his hand, his sight locked onto the door. He did not know what exactly happened a few minutes ago. He just wanted to tease her, to draw her attention to him, maybe even make her feel a little bit embarrassed but he did not plan either to kiss her or to feel anything himself, and yet…

"You're fuckin' kiddin' me." He looked down at the bulge in his pants, feeling uneasiness because of the tightness around his erection. "She's not even my type!"

Aomine unbuttoned and unzipped the part of clothing, thankful he was home alone, trying to localize his R-18 magazines under the couch. When he finally did, he opened it on the page with naked Horikita Mai and pulled down unnecessary clothes.

Of course, he had been masturbating before – in the end, he was just a teenager who was undergoing a hormonal storm, but it was his first time when he could not concentrate on the face of his well-endowed idol, having one plain orange-head in front of his navy-blue eyes.

"What the fuck is wrong with me?"


	2. Lesson 2

**Lesson 2. "Giving up is not an option for those who succeed." - Unknown**

"No can do, sorry."

"But, Kurogawa-sensei…"

"No means no, Uzutani." Rio clenched her fists tightly and lowered her gaze. Chewing her bottom lip, with bags under her eyes she looked like she was about to burst out crying and indeed, she felt like it whenever she thought about what happened last Friday. That was also the reason behind the sleepless nights and the weekend wasted on feeling ashamed and thinking too much. "I may be sharp with Aomine because of his ignorance, laziness, and boldness but still, if he doesn't carry out that one condition I gave him, he will be obliged to repeat and leave the basketball team. As for myself, I frankly don't care but I promised his coach I will do everything to help him out."

"But why me?", asked she querulously. The teacher looked at her lowered face, actually feeling sorry for her, but he did not plan on doing anything about the situation. Rio was the only one who could help _that little asshole_ except for him and the mathematician was washing his hands off of it.

"Because you're the best, Uzutani, that's why I won't substitute you." Kurogawa Hiro sent her a reassuring smile, but she did not react. She was still standing there with her gaze dropped and fists clenched, chewing her bottom lip. His mood seemed to exacerbate when a sudden thought occurred in his mind. "Did something happen on Friday?"

The teacher observed as her eyes snapped wide-open, her pale skin becoming red and her fists clenching even tighter on the material of her skirt.

"N-no, n-nothing h-happened, K-Kuro-g-gawa-sensei."

"Are you sure?"

"Y-yes!" she tried to make her voice sound enthusiastic as she smiled widely, finally facing the teacher's face. The fact that Aomine actually kissed her was embarrassing enough when they were the only people in the world who knew about that. If someone else had known, she would probably kill herself. "I-I'm just worried that I might not be up to do it properly. I mean, tutoring him is very hard."

"I know, I know, he's an idiot!" Rio gasped looking confused because of the teacher's words and his angry mimic that changed again into his normal, stoic one only seconds after he lost his temper. "But I do believe that you'll make him pass semester test with flying colors. Besides, I've always thought that you were that kind of person who never gives up..."

 _That's when I see the point in doing something. Besides, I'm not sure if I can stand his presence after what happened on Friday_ , thought she while clenching fingers on the hem of her blazer, feeling her cheeks getting warm again, but never voiced what was on her mind out loud. Instead, she just agreed against her own will.

"H-hai. I'll do my best. Thank you for your attention."

Rio bowed and left the staff room, making her way to school's gym. It was eight in the morning and her first lesson happened to be Physical Education which – combined with the unsorted business with Mr. Kurogawa – made her feel sick. Uzutani really hated that lesson because it was all about the teamwork and relationships, which she lacked. Whenever it came to exercising in pairs, she had always been that one student who had to work out alone. Whenever it was about choosing teams, she had always been the last, rejected one.

She looked through the window of a corridor that was connecting the gym with the school building, letting out a little sigh. Since that Friday night, the weather had not changed at all. The sky was overcast and the temperature low but not enough to freeze a drizzling rain. It only deepened her bad mood. Little tears formed in the corners of her enormous dark brown eyes but she wiped them away quickly, heading for the girls' locker room.

Honestly, she had never understood why the girls' P.E. uniform had to include black, tight shorts, which much more resembled French knickers than any kind of pants, however, she seemed to be the only one girl in the whole school whom it bothered. Wearing them, Rio felt too exposed, like she was half-naked. At least loose white T-shirt was covering everything it should.

The door opened and the group of chit-chatting girls from her class went in, not even looking at her.

It had been like that since the first day of school. Rio was standing out but not in the way she – or anybody else – would like to. Firstly, she did not have an ultra-new phone, tablet, laptop nor name-brand shoes, her books were cast-off. Her uniform, bought from one of the alums, was a little bit too big for her, making her look raggedly. She was allowed to study in an elite private school like Tōō Academy only because of the scholarship she had gotten for her grades and it was the second reason she was not well thought of. She was too smart and always had the best grades – enough of a reason to be jealous.

But, what's more, the fact that she was taller than most of the females in the whole school and there were also boys - well, forget boys, there were male teachers - who happened to be shorter than her, wasn't helping at all. Not to mention her untypical, not-Japanese-at-all look with her hair orange and her big, round eyes which could be called Asian only in the terms of their dark brown color.

All in all, she could put all the blame for standing out and being an outcast on her genes and thank her parents, if only she had ever had an opportunity.

Rio tied her shoes and locked the locker. She exited the room, heading to the gym.

She stopped in her mid-track, suddenly realizing something. Something that made her heart skip a beat in a nervous way. She became pale right before all the blood in her body rushed to her face, making her look like a neon tomato. She felt like being sick and all of it was because it was Monday. And Mondays, the girls shared the gym with the boys. And sharing the gym with boys meant sharing it with the person she wanted not to see ever again.

With Aomine Daiki.

* * *

"Uzutani, faster!"

She was breathing sharply, pumping her legs furiously on the gym's wooden floor. Her body was covered with sweat, her small face red from the exertion, muscles burning with fire. She was ready to give up but still pressed forward like her life depended on it.

"Come on, Uzutani, just one more lap!" Kenda-sensei shouted, his eyes wandering between the stopwatch and the slender figure of orange-head, whose braided hair was swinging in the rhythm of her sharp, determined moves. She was on the verge, but she still pushed harder and harder, her dark brown eyes set on the goal. She was a perfectionist.

"Keep going, Uzutani! You're almost there!"

"She can be pretty cool, huh?"

Souta - one of the boys, who were exercising close to Aomine - was openly eyeballing her long, slim legs, exposed by the uniform's shorts. He frowned, looking at him out of the corner of his eye and passed a medicine ball to Sakurai using an overhead press. The latter caught the heavy orb with ease, already used to its weight and Aomine's strength. After all, they were both on the basketball team.

"Dude, it's Uzutani you're talking about. Not cool at all."

Souta's friend, Hare, was laying on the floor face down, arms extended forward on the floor. Souta was standing above him, feet on both sides of his back. He grabbed Hare's elbows and pulled back up his whole upper body, holding him like that for a few seconds.

And for some reason he couldn't pin down, Aomine felt a sudden urge to hear the sound of his bones being broken. He caught the ball Sakurai had thrown and almost immediately passed it back.

"I think she's kind of cute."

Hare gasped when Souta released him.

"You better get your eyes checked, then."

Once again, he caught the ball and threw it back automatically, this time putting a little bit too much of a power in the activity, causing Sakurai to stumble when he got the claret leather orb back in his hands. The latter opened up his mouth, probably to apologize for something that wasn't his fault like he always did, but was interrupted by the enthusiastic voice of their P.E. teacher.

"Nice work, Uzutani! Very good time!"

Kenda-sensei looked at the stopwatch and noted something down on the clipboard, smiling to himself. Uzutani, however, wasn't even half as ecstatic as him, feeling unwell. She leaned forth, her palms shored up on her trembling knees as she closed her eyes shut and tried to catch her breath. Rio covered up her lips with the back of her right hand.

Something stirred inside of her flat abdomen.

The world seemed to be spinning, wave after wave of nausea and dizziness attacking her thin body. She felt like throwing up out of fatigue and she knew that the best thing she could do was to leave the gym incontinently but mustering up any strength to move her sore limbs was beyond her reach.

"Huh? Uzutani? Are you alright?" She heard her sensei's voice coming from afar. Rio wanted to at least shake her head as an answer to his question but found herself unable to do even that. Fighting desperately to keep her breakfast down, she slowly realized that the humiliation - and vomiting in the middle of the gym and in front of the whole class at that was inscribing perfectly in its definition - was the price she had to pay for her perfectionism, for pushing her limits to the extremes.

But giving up had never been a phrase in her dictionary.

Suddenly, the ground vanished from under her feet as she felt a pair of strong arms lifting her up effortlessly, the side of her body crushed against a hard chest of whoever had decided to help her. With her eyes closed, she felt a sudden yet continuous waft of the air as they started moving towards the door, his warmth and - paradoxically - a rhythmical swaying of her body in his arms, making her feel better.

Still, not well enough to put down her hands she was covering her mouth with, she tried to take a deep breath through her nose.

Just when she felt her stomach tightening again, she was put down in front of the restroom's door. Somehow she managed to stumble into the small room and kneeled in front of the toilet, the heaves getting stronger now that she had been released from the warm, lulling embrace.

After she was done, she rinsed her mouth thoroughly and washed her face with cold water, feeling much better. Of course, her muscles still were sore, her legs shaking from all the effort she had put into running, but her stomach finally settled down, her breath and heartbeat back to normal again. Even her face had regained its usual, peach color.

She splashed water on her face one more time, the cold feeling so good on her smooth but still burning skin. Just as she was about to fill her joined hands again, the door suddenly opened, scaring the daylights out of her. She totally forgot that there was someone waiting for her in the corridor - the very same male who had brought her there, saving her from the amused and disgusted looks of her classmates.

It was only after she saw his face that she regretted he had done anything to help her out.

Honestly, she wished she had thrown up in the middle of the gym, having a feeling that it would be actually a lot less embarrassing and nerve-racking than standing in the small restroom, face to face with Aomine.

"You okay?"

Hearing his hoarse voice she leaned against the wall, trying to increase the distance between them, the memory of Friday night still vivid in front of her eyes. The boy lifted his eyebrow at her behavior but did nothing besides that.

But her heart was still beating nervously in her ribcage and her cheeks became red again.

After a long while of silence, during which they had been staring into each other's eyes - the navy blue ones just calm, yet somehow unpredictable, the onyx orbs resembling the ones of the roe deer trapped in the lights of a car coming straight at her - he sighed, starting to feel somehow uncomfortable in his own skin.

"I'll tell him we're not going back."

"W-Wha-..."

"The teacher. I'll tell him you're not feeling well, so we're not going back." He repeated.

Aomine was watching her tensed expression with the feeling close to confusion stirring up inside of him at the look she was giving him, even though he found pushing her buttons kind of amusing. She was easy to mess around with since she was taking everything too seriously - just like that running-test-thing - and right then, he knew Rio was afraid that he may be planning on doing something like the last time.

She pursued her pale lips, observing him intensely as if searching for a chance to slip past him and run away. They continued their staring contest for a few more seconds and broke the contact eventually when they heard someone's steps closing on them.

The feeling of relief, however, lasted only for a dozen of seconds, the awkward atmosphere creeping up on them again when the person on the corridor went past them and continued his journey down the hall. Still, it was only Rio who was actually bothered by the fact, her soul shaking with fear of what might have happened.

I'm just reading too much into this, she tried to calm herself down but when his gaze had locked with her eyes again, she looked away hugging her hands to her chest, her back pushing onto the tiled wall like if she wanted to become one with it only to become invisible for his eyes. She budged uncontrollably when he shifted his weight onto the other leg and closed her eyelids shut, waiting for him to go at her, all of the muscles in her body knotted.

But nothing really happened.

"Go to the locker room, take a shower and see the nurse."

"Huh?"

She opened up her eyes only to see him leave the restroom, with his hands shoved into his shorts' pockets.

"Just go and rest."

And with that, he was gone.


	3. Lesson 3

**Lesson 3. "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford**

Not more than thirty minutes earlier she had been sitting in the warm and peaceful interior of the school's library, preparing for the next week's biology test. Thursday afternoons had always been rather quiet since she rarely had something planned then - a real blessing for her if the truth be told - that's why she had decided to spend her free time in the most effective way and avoid staying up late in the following few days.

However, it turned out to be a total flop when the bubbly manager of the basketball team, Momoi Satsuki, had shown up alongside with the team's ace whose angry expression had been clearly indicating that he had been dragged there with the use of force. How had the pink-haired girl managed to do that was a secret to Rio, though…

Until she herself had been checkmated by the very same person.

Although she had sworn to Kurogawa-sensei she would help him the orange-haired girl couldn't say that she was eager to do that. She still was not mentally prepared to face Aomine properly or to propose to him the next studying session, her mind set on the see-what-the-time-brings mode rather than actually doing something about that herself. Actually, she felt kind of relieved that he had not brought the subject of the tutoring matter and probably would not do that either since he was uninterested in acquiring knowledge.

He just wanted to mess around with her.

Deep down Rio hoped that she would be able to forget about that all for the time being and worry later about what to say to Kurogawa-sensei when Aomine fails his exam (and she could totally see it coming) but then there was Momoi crushing all of the hopefulness Uzutani had gained since Monday while being able to avoid any unnecessary contact with the boy. She was so clingy and sincere, and she pleaded Rio so stubbornly to tutor **Dai-chan** right then and there…

 _I guess that's a perfect example of an_ _ **irresistible person**_ , she had thought when she'd finally been able to chime in between her pleases only to voice her agreement and...

And now she was standing on the sideline of the outdoor basketball court trying to hide as much of her face as she could in the tube scarf, her bare hands ( _Why did I have to forget my gloves today?)_ shoved deep inside the coat's pockets, onyx eyes tracing the orange orb which was making its way from the blue-haired boy's hands towards the loop time after time, most of the shots achieving its goal, only once in a while missing the basket and falling to the ground with a characteristic sound.

It didn't seem to satisfy the taller, tanned male, though.

"Your posture is fine, but your sense of distance is horrible."

"How do you shoot, Aomine-kun?"

"Like…" He grabbed the ball with only one hand and threw it into the basket's direction nonchalantly. "This."

The ball went in without even scratching the loop, the swish of the net heard clearly.

Rio made a small sound of astonishment as her stoic - since he wasn't focused on her - eyes wandered in Aomine's direction, eyebrows slightly furrowed. She had never seen someone as good as him. Someone for whom playing basketball came this natural and yet someone who couldn't possibly be a worse teacher.

"Please, be more specific."

 _How did we end up like this?_

Rio sighed, balancing on her heels hidden in the black jodhpur boots. She was pretty content with them since she had bought them on a sale a few days prior with the money she had taken in tips at her workplace. It was really cold however and no new shoes could compensate it for her.

Nothing could, especially not the sight of the two boys, one of them dressed in tracksuit pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt, the other one with his parka unzipped, his neck exposed to the chilly breeze. It was impossible for her to understand how they could not be bothered with the weather.

It looked like she was trembling with the cold for all three of them.

"Unfair", mumbled she under her breath and buried her face even deeper into her tube scarf, puffing the warm air into the thick woolen material.

"What is unfair, Uzutani-san?"

Rio let out a short shriek and jumped at the sudden presence of the blue-haired boy, whose name was Kuroko Tetsuya, at her side. She looked at him startled and stepped backward, her cheeks getting red from embarrassment when she tripped over a loose flagstone and lost her balance.

She shut her eyes.

She was ready for the impact but a big, calloused and pleasantly warm hand shot into her direction and caught her palm just as she was about to fall, pulling her forwards and steadying her slim tall figure inside of the strong, muscled arms.

Rio twitched her nose, wondering why it hurt her in the first place. Only after a few long seconds did she realize that her face bumped into something hard rather than her bottom hitting the pavement.

She inhaled slowly, the somehow familiar spicy scent filling her nostrils.

"Geez, you're freezing."

No, she wasn't. Her face was burning with fire, it's redness hidden under the tube scarf's material, the heat spreading over her stiff body when she realized that he was still holding her hand, trapped not only inside of his big tanned palm but also between their bellies, pressed tightly against each other, his other hand encircling the small of her back. And her bosom…

She refused to lift her eyelids.

"Take this."

Next thing she knew was that he pulled away and put something around her shoulders. Something warm, that smelled like him. Something that was too big for her yet gave her a feeling of... safety? Could it really be that?

"B-but you'll be cold…"

"I'll play with Tetsu, so wearing it would only be a pain in the ass…"

"O-oh, I see. T-then th-thank you."

She slowly opened her eyes, locking her gaze with his shoes but accepted his parka willingly, grasping its tails with her pale fingers only to mantle herself in it a little bit tighter. Something odd stirred deep inside her stomach, her face still flushed, her body still stiff, her feelings conflicted between being thankful and embarrassed and the urge to run away and something else she didn't want to name…

"Aomine-kun, you're surprising me. I've never thought you could be a gentleman."

A stoic voice of Kuroko, who happened to be forgotten (again), scared the living daylights out of them both. They jumped away from each other even further away, startled expressions on their red faces, even if the tanned complexion of Aomine's skin and her tube scarf covered most of it.

"Shut up!"

"I-I'll go buy something to drink!"

She had taken the opportunity to flee away using the first thing that came to her mind, knowing she had not been able to bear any further embarrassment and finding a shop in the district she did not know turned out to be a lot harder and distracting than it seemed. The activity had been keeping Rio occupied for a while and she had been able to forget about that small gesture that had made her heart beat loud and wild in her ribcage.

Now, however, standing in front of the vending machine she approached instead of the crowded convenience store at the end of the road, she pursued her lips tight feeling the waves of heat coming back at her, the cheeks getting redder and redder at the sole thought that the coattails she was clutching in her hands were the parts of Aomine's parka, that it was his scent tickling her sense of smell, engraving deep inside her memory… That it was **him** who caused that annoying and strange but somehow enjoyable itching turmoil in her underbelly.

She was shifting from one foot to the other, her blind eyes concentrated on an orange juice can behind the glass, more and more of the unbridled thoughts and emotions buzzing inside of her slim body, her ears filled with the noise of the rushing blood, pumped furiously and painfully by her heart.

"Oh, what's wrong with me?!", yelled Rio uncontrollably while crouching, her palms pressing on both sides of her head covering her ears but the noise didn't go away. Oppositely, it made her hear clearly the sound of her hammering heart reverberating throughout her body. Shutting eyes closed for a thousandth time that day she wished to disappear from the surface of the Earth.

Her forehead bumped into the glass surface, it's coldness pleasing and welcomed on her skin burning with discountenance. Suddenly it seemed like all of her body was standing in the flames. The thought that not long ago she had been freezing seemed just ridiculous.

"Why is he doing this?", she said quietly not to anyone in particular, not even herself. She just felt a need to say it out loud to help herself clear her head out. But it brought a dozen of following thoughts that hazed her vision even more instead.

 _Why? Why? Why?_

He wasn't the type of a guy that she had always dreamed about – a nice and warm boy who would do anything for her, a gentle one who would protect her from the evil world.

 _He kissed me on a whim, for God's sake!_

He was the type of a guy that mothers warned their daughters about. The type of a bad-ass player who cared for nothing but himself. She knew him, they were in the same class for almost a year. She had never talked to him before Kurogawa-sensei's assignment, but she had been aware of his intimidating presence and perpetually angry face expression that had made him look like all the light in the world had been gone. He hadn't treated his friends – or rather teammates – well, always too egotistical, always too self-assured.

 _The only one who can tame him is…_

The image of a certain pink-haired girl popped up in front of her eyes and she felt her heart aching, her stomach tying into a knot. If Momoi was so special to him, why had he kissed her? She was nothing like the beautiful and popular manager. While Satsuki was someone, she was on the completely opposite end of the food chain.

 _But it felt so real…_

She backed away a little only to bump her forehead into the vending machine's glass once again. She knew she was acting stupid, overanalyzing and overthinking that one kiss that meant nothing to him and something – even though she couldn't grasp what exactly yet – to her. It was an easy equation – he had been bored and she had been the only one female in the room, so he had done what he had felt like. She should follow his example and forget about it because it had been meaningless and there was Momoi…

 _I won't cry!_

She felt her eyes getting wet all of a sudden and her palms moved from her ears to her face, pulling up the tube scarf so the tears could sink into the woolen material.

 _I'm an idiot!_ , thought she while biting her lower lip. _Why does it hurt me so much? I don't even know him! We're in the same class and kissed once, he helped me when I was feeling sick but there's nothing more!_ Her teeth pressed a little bit harder on the soft flesh and the skin cracked, a metallic taste filling her mouth. _Why should I bother? I'll just tell Kurogawa-sensei the truth, he'll understand and let me cancel that promise. Then I'll have nothing to do with him. He won't toy with me anymore._

Once again, she bumped her forehead into the glass, this time a little bit harder. She hissed when she felt a shot of pain radiating from the spot that was hit and momentarily jumped up, massaging her forehead. For a while she thought only about a bruise she would have to cover with makeup the next day but then realized that it was the last of her worries.

Rio wiped away the small tears that were left in the corners of her big round eyes, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down. The pain helped her recover.

From the school bag that was hanging from her arm under the additional coat, she took out her wallet and bought three cans of Pocari in different tastes. As for her, she liked all of them but the preferences of the boys she had left on the court were a mystery.

Of course, she didn't have to bother with them. She made a decision to abandon tutoring Aomine, to forget about everything and throw him out of her memoirs while she still was able to, then return to her life of an outcast and its' peace.

And she had to start it with giving back the big, warm and fragrant parka to its owner. Otherwise, she would have already fled away.

Little did she realize how far she had gone while searching for the convenience store. The road back to the court, however, seemed to last only a blink of an eye as she was lost deep in her thoughts, this time actually not brooding about the past but feeling strangely light-hearted about what she was going to do. Seeing the two boys from afar, she slowed down observing them closely but stopped only after she was on the other end of the court than them, still unnoticed.

They were playing a little one-on-one, Kuroko in offense dribbling the ball at his side, his eyes focused on the much taller posture of Aomine, who had his arms spread wide not intending to go easy on his friend. But there was something different in him. That something (was it his smile that she had seen for the first time in forever or the fact that he wasn't underestimating his opponent like she had seen he had done multiple times in the real matches in their school, she didn't know) that made her think that maybe… Just maybe, it was only a façade. That maybe there was something more under the front of the naughty basketball player who cared for nothing but himself.

 _And maybe…_

Kuroko knew he had no chance against the Too's ace alone, so he decided to shoot since they were on the free throw line. This, however, was also stopped by Aomine who seized the ball with a broad smile on his face, attempting a counterattack. He cursed when he tripped over the untied shoestring, letting Kuroko steal the ball. The blue-haired boy asked him if he was alright, but he only waved his hand at him, swiftly pushing the lace inside of his shoe before trying to grasp the ball. Kuroko, however, had predicted that and moved back, throwing the ball into the basket's direction. It missed only by inches and made Aomine snort in disbelief.

"Since you're the master of passing the ball, you should try to pass the ball to the loop. You'll shoot more comfortably just pushing it with the palm of your hand." Aomine suggested, looking straight at his friend, his usual bored expression gone.

"But the posture would be too…"

"What does that matter, idiot? Posture has nothing to do with the shots." He scolded the shorter boy, who lifted the ball from the ground, holding the orange orb in his hands, weighing it for a while before he decided to give it a try. "As long as they go in, it's fine."

 _Just maybe…_

Kuroko nodded then set himself in the more comfortable position as he lifted the ball lying flatly on his whole palm, not only on the fingertips like was usual for this sport. Rio furrowed her eyebrows, seeing something like that for the first time. She wasn't an expert, of course not, but she had spent enough time in front of the TV watching basketball matches with her grandfather to know that.

It was only a split second. Aomine put up his guard, ready to try and stop the throw again. She needed to blink and then… The ball was high in the air, floating towards the loop. She never noticed the moment Kuroko released the orb, making it impossible to stop for Aomine who was standing under the basket dumbfounded yet smiling satisfied by the course of events while her eyes were again wide-open in a sheer amazement.

She heard the swish of the net.

"That was a hell of a phantom shot!", he pumped his fist in the air, for a moment letting them both see the old Aomine – familiar to Kuroko and completely new but somehow attractive to Rio, who had a sudden change of heart watching his relaxed posture that tensed once he noticed her standing at the sidelines, hugging the Pocari cans to her chest.

"What took you so long, Uzutani? Don't tell me you got lost!" He teased coming straight at her, but she didn't move an inch, looking straight into his eyes strangely calm, the corners of her mouth slightly lifted under the woolen material. "Man, I'm thirsty!"

He took the strawberry drink, tossing the orange one to his friend, who was standing few feet away, the orange ball in one of his hands. He caught it without effort, bowing to Rio with a clearly heard "Thank you" that Aomine obviously forgot about. She answered politely that it was not a problem, but her eyes were still focused on the navy blue-haired boy in front of her who opened the can and gulped down the contents. When he was done, he wiped away his mouth with the back of his hand. He had his uniform's blazer sleeves rolled up and the tie loosened up even more than usual, his risen body temperature radiating onto her.

When he noticed her gaze, he stared back for a while, seeing the hues of red sticking out from under her tube scarf, the light flickering in her big eyes that suddenly seemed much more secure than the other day. Well, he could somehow sense that she was still nervous around him, but something had changed. He looked at Kuroko for a moment, before locking his gaze with hers again, scratching the back of his neck with one hand, the other one still holding the empty can. She looked at the object and reached out her hand to take it away from him and he did that willingly.

There was a short while of silence before he spoke again.

"It's not like I want to study but Satsuki won't stop pestering me if I don't, so… Give me fifteen minutes and then we can go somewhere." He turned his back to her not waiting for an answer, returning to his friend. They resumed the one-on-one from the line of three-pointers, Aomine dribbling the ball steadily since it was Kuroko who scored last.

 _Maybe_ she wanted to get to know the real him.

She mantled herself a little bit tighter in his parka, feeling the chilly breeze once again attacking Tokyo and the outdoor court they were at. She was watching them curious about what would happen next.

Aomine played with the ball, faking moves and shots, both of the boys having fun even if they didn't fully show that. Rio sighed a little, shuffling the empty can to her other hand, that was still holding the cranberry Pocari and pulled the tube scarf a little bit higher with her free palm.

"Am I a masochist now, or what?", her whisper got lost in the sound of shoes moving on the concrete court, the ball bouncing and the small talk of the two friends. Once again, her dark brown eyes focused only on him. She felt something stirring up inside of her. This time, something good. Something that made her see the goal – the point in helping him with Math. The reason to not give up.

He had fun. He loved basketball. He really **enjoyed** it. He **treasured** playing with his friend.

And she won't be the one to take that away from him. She will ignore all the obstacles - mainly his attitude towards Maths and her plus her obvious nervousness around him.

She will do that.


	4. Lesson 4

**Lesson 4. "Conflict is the beginning of consciousness." – M. Esther Harding**

"Fuck this shit," mumbled he under his breath but she heard him either way. "This is stupid. Why do I even have to learn this crap?" This time he spoke louder, clenching his long fingers on the pen. The urge to throw it all away was almost unbearable but somehow, he managed to stop it before he made a ruckus in a public place. Well, he did not really care what people would think of him, but he knew it would cause problems for the orange-head and - whatever reason was behind it - it was enough to cool his temper down.

She sighed quietly, sitting next to him on the bar stool and shored her face up on the palm of her hand, looking at him with those big brown eyes of her. She leaned forward a little, probably not even noticing that her chequered flannel t-shirt, unbuttoned and knotted right above her navel, opened up a little wider and from his perspective…

He quickly looked away, feeling something stirring up in his underbelly, his cheeks getting warmer at the sole thought of her black balconette corset bra she had to wear in her workplace as a part of her cowgirl waitress uniform.

"You know why, Aomine-kun," said Rio smiling sadly to the back of his head. "If you don't pass the test, you won't be able to play basketball."

He _tch_ 'ed in response, making eye contact with the muscled barman whose stupid grin was annoying him for quite a while now. He sent him a glare before looking back at his notebook and the sequence of numbers and operations he could not solve, no matter how hard he tried. Even if this time he _actually_ tried.

"You've made a mistake here," he heard right at his side and smelled her subtle perfume when she leaned over a little more to have a better look at the equations, her finger pointing at the absolute value in the second line. "The formula is slightly different," she took the pen from him and scribbled something down, but he could not concentrate on it, focused on her cleavage instead. "Still, you're getting better."

"With a tutor as good as you, it would be strange if he didn't." Aomine budged, hearing the barman's voice close to them and automatically averted his gaze to him, trying not to rip that idiotic grin off of man's face.

"Shino-san, please, stop it," she laughed, and it caught Aomine off guard. She had never laughed in his presence. A smile, yes, but not too often, as if she was still afraid of him after those two weeks of their strange, "I-kissed-my-tutor-and-acted-like-nothing-has-happened" type of relationship. Still, he could not understand why she would hide those warm, subtle jingles of her laugh away from him. And what was so special about this half-naked bartender in a cowboy hat? Daiki could swear that his abs were hundred times better.

"I'm just telling you the truth," Shino almost sang, poking the tip of her small nose. Rio was trying to hide her smile but to no avail and so she gave up after a few seconds.

"Okay, okay, whatever you say," she laughed again, flicking his hand away jokingly when he tried to poke a dimple – which existence was also new to Daiki – in her cheek. Aomine cursed under his breath, ready to start a fight for interrupting his tutoring session. He was in need, for God's damn sake, and this stupid cowboy was frivoling away his precious time.

He frowned, his intense gaze locked onto Shino. Their eyes met, the older boy smiling victoriously, as if he was daring him and it was actually working, since Daiki felt an irresistible urge to punch him right in this confident, annoying face of his and was about to give him a piece of his mind. However, – was it the infamous woman's intuition that Satsuki was always blabbering about or just a coincidental but perfect timing – Rio spoke up, redirecting their attention to her. "Shino, could you please check with the chef when the order for table fifteen will be ready? I'm afraid the guests are getting impatient by now."

"Everything for my favorite cowgirl," he winked at her and went into the kitchen, but not before he sent Aomine another cocky look.

"Tch."

"You're doing it a lot today, Aomine-kun," Rio gave him the pen back. He took it without a word, focusing his gaze on the shelves with alcohol in front of him, the blood in his veins still burning and pulsing. "Did... did something happen?"

"Not your business," growled he refusing to look at her, even though it was hard. For some reason the irritation caused by the barman transferred onto the orange-head, who was clearly confused by the sudden coldness. Not that he was all smiles and sunshine usually, but it was the first time he treated her with hostility this evident. Before she had started tutoring him, she had been invisible to him. After that, they had their ups and downs but this time it was something different. "Just do what you're supposed to do and help me understand this shit or it will be your fault if the basketball team weakens."

Rio furrowed her eyebrows in a worried manner, biting her lower lip, suddenly finding herself at a loss for words. She could feel something sharp stinging her heart, her stomach tightening in a knot, a wave of unpleasant warmth spreading throughout her chest. She lowered her gaze onto the notebook, feeling that she was not able to look at his angry, sharp features any longer.

"O-okay," her voice was trembling a little, so she cleared her throat in order to hide it. "You're right, we should get the job done," said she quietly, not even realizing that Shino came back, two plates of steaming steaks and baked potatoes in his hands. "First thing, the formula for..."

"Rio-chan, your order is ready..."

"Y-yes. I'm sorry, Aomine-kun. I'll be right back, just..." She did not end, taking the plates from the bartender and making her way to the table number fifteen.

Shino raised his left eyebrow, looking at her for a while, before relocating his gaze onto Aomine. The tall boy was looking with disgust at the equation written in his notebook, his teeth clenched, and brows furrowed, the inside of his head being a mess of unbridled thoughts of anger and something which most of the people would call remorse, but not him. He was gladly ignoring the latter one, until he spoke.

"Don't know what happened…"

" _Not_ your business," he said again, this time with a lot more power in his voice.

"As long as Rio is concerned, it _is_ my business," Shino sent him a tired glare, polishing the glasses. It was harder and harder for Aomine to control his murderous instincts. Somehow, this guy was pushing his buttons up to a point when he was seconds away from erupting with anger.

"And who are you, her boyfriend?" Aomine hissed not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Why, are you jealous?"

"You wish."

"So, you are jealous," Shino smiled widely. "Not that I can blame you."

"Fuck off, dude."

"I'm not her boyfriend, don't worry." The barman put down the glass and the cloth, looking at him with the mix of care, sadness and happiness at the same time in his eyes. "She's like my younger sister, and that's why I want to tell you, you won't win her over with this attitude. Treat her right or I'll stop being a nice guy, understand?" asked he, but before Aomine could object, Shino continued, this time with carelessness in his voice. "Besides, I'm dating her older brother."

"You-… what?"

"I'm gay." He just shrugged his arms and smiled, returning to his job. Daiki was sitting there on the barstool, trying to process the information he just obtained, anger evaporating from his system. That was the moment he started feeling bad for his behavior. Not that he was going to apologize to Rio or Shino. He was too proud for that.

"I'm back," he turned around on the barstool to see orange-head, whose long hair was braided. She was looking at him with a faint smile, no sign of dimples in sight, and a sadness in her onyx eyes, that she was trying to hide. "I talked with the owner and he told me I can end my shift early today. Is that okay with you?"

"I'm sorry for earlier."

Shino smiled, looking from afar at the two of them, unintentionally overhearing their conversation. He could not decide which one of them was more shocked with basketball player's apology, but it looked like he did not mean to do that, and Rio did not expect him to. They stared at each other for a while, just looking in each other's eyes and Shino felt an urge to tell them to kiss already but he knew he would ruin the moment. Besides, Rio was not the one to rush the things out. Especially because she was really dense when it came to stuff like this. Not that Aomine was better. The barman was sure that both of them were completely clueless about the chemistry everybody felt between them.

"I-it's okay," she finally managed to response and instantly looked away, her cheeks blushing, hands playing with her braided hair. "I'll just get changed and then we can go somewhere quiet."

And with that, she was gone.

He was looking at the door she disappeared behind and could not shake off this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had no idea neither why it was there in the first place, nor why he apologized to her. Was it that sad look she gave him? That roe deer glassy eyes? The lack of dimples in her cheeks when she was feigning a smile not to show him that his behavior affected her?

Was it some spell she casted on him?

He pursed his lips and furrowed eyebrows. Shino passed him on the other side of the bar, grinning and showing him a double thumb up. Aomine felt something warm spreading on his cheeks and stood up, tossing his things into the schoolbag. He decided to wait outside.

He could really use a breath of fresh air. He needed to clear his head out.

* * *

"Okay, once again," she sighed, clearly tired after a long day of school, work and tutoring him. "When the real number is greater than zero, then absolute value for this real number is…"

"The same real number?" He did not sound too sure about it. He yawned, also feeling the effects of a tiring day getting to him. They have been at it for hours. The sun has already set, and the street lamps were lightened up. He believed it was around eight. Much to his surprise, Rio nodded enthusiastically.

"Great, and for the real number that is less than zero?"

"Ugh… The real number with minus sign?"

"That's right!" She suddenly came to life and picked up the pen. "And when we want to solve the equation, we have to…?"

"Determine the value of the real number?"

"Correct!" Rio started scribbling something down in their tutoring notebook. "I'll give you a few equations and I think we'll be ending our lesson after that."

Aomine did not answer, too occupied with just looking at her. Even though tired, she was smiling because he finally got something right. And although the café's light was dim, he was pretty sure that he could see dimples in her cheeks.

She stopped writing for a moment and put her pen between her full lips. He suddenly felt his throat going dry, and this strange warmth again, this time overflowing all of his body, not only his cheeks. Aomine quickly looked down at the equations she was writing when their eyes met.

Rio bit her lower lip, trying to calm down her hammering heart. She was pretty sure she only imagined that he was observing her. She wrote down one equation more and handed him the notebook.

"I'll be right back," said she while standing up. Aomine only muttered something in response, concentrated on the paper in front of him. He got enough courage only after she left to look up at her. She was heading to ladies room and stood in a few-person queue. Her orange hair was reflecting the light in a beautiful manner and…

He looked down at the equations she prepared for him but could not focus on the numbers. He really had no idea what she was doing to him, but it was getting more and more intense with every day he saw her. He would not say it out loud, but it was kind of scarring him out. He noticed a small drawing of chibi Rio, who was wishing him good luck. He shook his head as if it was going to help him and started solving the equations. He was sure it would make her happy and he really wanted to see her smile.

He finished the task in no time, he himself surprised that it went that easy.

"What's going on with me?" asked he not expecting to hear a response...

"You're falling in love with Uzutani-san, Aomine-kun."

… but when he did, he jumped terrified, blood rushing to his head, his cheeks getting hot, his heart beating wildly in his ribcage.

"W-what? I'm… what? I'm not!," he finally managed to object and turned around to see Kuroko. "What are you doing here, Tetsu?

"I was on my way home from the training with Kagami-kun and I noticed you through the window, so I decided to say hello while Kagami-kun is gulping down a half-year worth supply of burgers at Maji's." Kuroko was as unemotional and blunt as always, his blue hair hidden under a warm cap. He was also wearing a winter coat already, which reminded him of Rio.

They both counted among chilly people.

"Oh, Kuroko-san? It's so nice to see you!" _Speaking of the devil_ , thought Aomine when Rio showed up, her palms hidden in long sleeves of her school uniform's sweater.

"Pleasure is mine, Uzutani-san. How are your lessons going?"

"Aah, just let me check it out!" She took the notebook and looked closely at the equations. With every moment her face expression was more and more shocked, and Daiki felt something heavy in his stomach. He did not want to fail and see her disappointed gaze. He was actually nervous. _Him_. Over something so _irrelevant_. "Aomine-kun," started she with a look of disbelief in her eyes as she put down the notebook and the basketball player was getting ready for that unpleasant pang of pain, when she grinned widely, this time the dimples in her cheeks clearly visible. He almost lost his breath. "You got it! I'm really proud of you!"

 _Seriously._

 _Just what was this feeling?_


	5. Lesson 5

**Lesson 5. "Be proud of who you are, not ashamed of how someone else sees you." - Unknown**

She was not sure if it was a good idea to bring him there, but it's not like she had any choice. It was kind of an emergency, because he had to go see some match in the evening, so he had asked her to reschedule their tutoring lesson (strangely enough, he had not opted for cancelling) and she had to be home right after school to help out Shino with moving the washing machine which had broken down the day before. The elevator was also not working, they needed to carry it down so Shino's friend could take it to his workshop and she could not let her grandpa do this alone with her brother's boyfriend, and since her brother was unavailable…

Aomine was looking around, really feeling for Uzutani that she had to live in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Tokio. He knew she was not the richest one and that she could study at Tōō Academy only because her grades gave her the full-scholarship, but he never thought that it was this bad. He would have never guessed, actually. Maybe she did not have the newest phone or designer's clothes, her books were cast-off, her school uniform a little bit too big for her, also a hand-me-down, bought from some alum, but she always looked cleanly and neatly. She had never talked about her situation and he never asked, but right then and there…

He just felt sorry for her.

The door they were standing in front of was probably as old as the tenement house they were in. The dark green paint was peeling off of its surface and the lock was not in a much better state. Rio had some troubles turning the key in, but after a while of struggling and pushing in the door with her slim body, she finally managed to unlock them. She entered first and announced their arrival.

"Tadaima," she spoke loudly, taking off her shoes in the genkan before she stepped into the main area of the apartment. "I brought a friend with me!"

"Okaeri." Aomine did not even notice when the old lady showed up in the corridor, too occupied with untangling his shoelaces. He looked at her and greeted her with a short _good afternoon_. The gray-haired woman smiled at him. "Oh, you're a handsome one."

"Grandma!"

"Shush, Ri-chan, don't act like you haven't noticed!" Rio's face became red in a matter of seconds and Aomine was simply wondering, what should he do. "Will you eat dinner with us, pretty face?"

"He has a name, grandma. It's Aomine Daiki!"

"Oh, so he's the one you're tutoring? Good for you, Ri-chan!" The woman gave her a thumb up and backed away to the small kitchen announcing that she was making curry. Rio rubbed her temples and turned around to look at confused Daiki, her face still blushed.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into her…" Aomine shrugged his shoulders and put hands into pockets.

"She's right. I am handsome," he stated as if it was the most common knowledge in the world and finally took his shoes off, not even bothering to lean down. She was looking at him with her eyebrows raised up, her full lips bowed into a small smile.

"And humble, that's for sure."

"Of course, humble is my second name."

Rio shook her head in disbelief but for a moment she smiled wide enough for him to see the dimples in her cheeks. He liked her dimples.

"What's all this ruckus about, Ri-chan?" This time, it was her grandfather that left the salon with a wooden pipe in his right hand and a left one tucked in the pocket of his plain beige trousers. "Have you finally brought some boy home?"

"Grandpa, please, not you too…" She sighed, taking off her jacket. Daiki did the same and hung it up on the rack. "Aomine is my classmate, I'm tutoring him, remember?"

"I know, I know, just bantering with you, duckling." She facepalmed and Aomine almost cracked up, hearing the nickname he called her with. "But I assume that this young and tall gentleman has some power in this muscles of his and will help Shino carry down the washing machine."

"I will take care of it, Aomine-kun is here to learn Maths," she objected, not wanting Daiki to fetch and carry for her, but he just looked at her like she was crazy. _Like hell_ he was going to let her carry something this heavy and just watch her do this. He was almost sure that she would break.

"Oh, where are your cats, you strong independent woman?" The old man shook his head in disbelief and puffed, nodding at the boy. "Judging from the look he gives you, he will help us no matter what you say, duckling. Am I right, young man?"

There was something about this man that gave off a feeling of masterfulness and discipline. Under the watchful gaze of a lot smaller than him geezer he felt like an army recruit, a rookie standing face to face with a recognized and experienced general… Just like he had felt most of his life, wherever he messed up and had to confront his father – a lieutenant commander on one of the Japanese army's ships. He almost shouted _sir, yes sir!_ in a response to his question but he bit his tongue at the very last moment.

"Sure," said he instead.

"Good," Rio's grandfather seemed to be content with his answer but a second later sent him a threatening look over his wooden pipe and Aomine immediately knew there was something more to come. "Just remember, that if you ever hurt my dear granddaughter, you will know the taste of my air rifle's shot!"

"Grandpa!"

* * *

Her room was small, tidy and cozy, just as the rest of the apartment was. There were not many pieces of furniture in it, only the most important ones. The bed. Wardrobe with a mirror on the door. Desk and two chairs. And photos.

A lot of photos, that decorated every wall of the apartment.

Looking at the walls he could recreate almost her entire life. Almost, since the first photographs of her where from the time she was around six, maybe seven years old. She and a boy – who he assumed was her older brother, judging by their similarity – just popped into the life of the Uzutani family out of nowhere. They were, however, completely different from their parents – a typical Japanese marriage of a black-haired and black-eyed man and woman. Rio and her brother had rather eastern looks with their hair orange.

"We are adopted." He looked at her startled when she spoke after a while of silence when she was marking some tasks for him. He used that moment to study one of the photos just in front of his face on the shelf. "But I guess you figured it out since we don't look like them at all."

"Yeah…" Daiki did not really know what to say. He looked at her, but Rio was not facing him. She was leaning over the textbook, interested in the tasks. In the cold light of the desk lamp, he could see her blushed cheeks, her tired and sad expression. She was worried. Worried what would his reaction be if he knew all of her story, but that Daiki did not know.

And what Rio did not know, was that he was unintentionally devouring every little information she gave out about herself. Not because he wanted to use it against her but because he subconsciously wanted to get to know her better. The atmosphere, however, became heavy. Rio was apparently not going to talk to him about her family and he was not going to ask her. Although they were in the same class for almost a year, they only met three weeks ago. Not long enough to confide in each other.

But sometimes, people just feel the need to talk. To disburden themselves.

"They died two years ago in a car accident," said she with her voice as unemotional as Kuroko's at first, that started to quiver then, "and my brother ended up in a coma. To pay the hospital bills we had to sell our home, but it wasn't enough and that's why… Why am I telling you all this?"

She laughed bitterly, a few tears streaming down her face that she wiped away with the sleeve of the uniform. She tried to smile, but the corners of her mouth were trembling uncontrollably. She stood up.

"I-I'm sorry. Please, try to s-solve the tasks I've marked in the book. I'll be… I'll be right back."

She wanted to leave, but when she was passing him by, he grabbed her wrist. She stopped, biting her lower lip to stop the tears threatening to flow from under her closed eyelids, to stop the sob that was choking her, to suppress the pain in her chest. Time was supposed to heal the wounds, but she knew that it was not true. It was only helping in coping with them. It was only letting people get used to pain. But it was a long process and two years were definitely not enough.

Not for her, either way.

"Please… I have to…" Rio knew she was only seconds away from breaking apart, so she tried to move but he was still holding her cold hand. It was not only her voice that was quivering anymore but her whole body. She had to leave. She had to…

"You don't have to act this tough, you know."

Aomine stood up and – led by some newly discovered instinct – turned her around and wrapped his arms around her. At first, she stiffened, too shocked to even move but then, slowly, as the tames deep inside of her were being breached one after another, as the quiet sob was finding its way out of her throat, as the tears started streaming down her bleary face, she clenched her fingers on his sweater and moved a little bit closer, absorbing his somehow comforting presence.

"It's okay to cry sometimes."

And so, the last tame broke down.

* * *

"Careful now… Okay, put it down."

They packed the broken washing machine in the trunk of a transit van and bid the driver farewell. Shino stretched and yawned, feeling his back strained a little. Not that he was complaining. He was actually happy that because of Aomine's sudden change of plans, the basketball player was there to help him out. _That piece of shit_ , as he cursed in thought more times than he could remember during their long way from the fifth floor, was heavier than he imagined and having to carry it down with Rio… Well, fortunately, the tanned boy substituted her. There was only one thing that was worrying him.

"What happened to Rio-chan?"

"Huh?" Aomine looked at him startled. "Why do you ask?"

"Well… She is kind of a control-freak and she didn't even once look at us when we were carrying out the washing machine." He pointed out, tying his jaw-length blond-almost-white hair into a ponytail. Not that it helped much – most of the hair was too short and was still flying around his face with the chilly wind. "And I think she was crying when I, ekhem… disturbed you two."

"You didn't disturb us, moron. We weren't doing anything." Aomine almost growled looking away so that the older boy would not see the red color creeping up on his cheeks. Lately, he had serious doubts about his skin tone hiding such things and this risk, he was not willing to take. _God, I'm getting weak._

"Oh, really? You looked like you jumped away from each other when I entered her room," said Shino with playful notes in his voice that took the more serious sound as he was saying out the next sentence. "And she was crying, so I just want to remember you about my promise. If you hurt her…"

"I didn't!" Aomine snapped, this time not avoiding making eye contact. They were eyeing each other for quite a while, before the basketball player tch'ed and looked away once again, observing some kids playing football in one of the mews. He was weighing words before he spoke up once again, quite calmly this time. "She was crying because she told me about what happened to her family. I was just trying to comfort her."

"It all makes sense now…" Shino stared at the kitchen window of Uzutani's apartment, suddenly feeling nothing more than sadness. He knew how hard it was for Rio.

Since the accident that took her adoptive parents away and put her brother in a coma, she had to pay hospital bills, rent and buy food. Her grandparents were too old to work full time and the part-time jobs they had were not enough to let Rio dedicate herself only to her education. He himself was also helping her out since her brother was the love of his life, but the costs of keeping him in the hospital were horrendous, even when split in two.

Still, he admired Rio for everything she did, how she was balancing hard work at her job and getting good grades at school. She really was a wonderful person. One would say that when she laughed, the whole world laughed with her. She was really smart, gentle and kind. But she also had her faults. She was a very private person, she never complained about her situation and often forgot about her own needs to help out other people. She was bottling all the negative feelings inside. She preferred not to talk about some things that were hurting her or to pretend that they were non-existent. And when the last straw finally broke the camel's back, she would burst out crying, falling to pieces once again. Her wounds were not healing easy or fast, because she unconsciously was not letting them to.

"You know, Rio-chan wouldn't tell that to anyone, so you can feel special. Don't know why, because you give off this feeling of a bad boy, but apparently, she trusts you. So, don't ruin that."

"For the last time… There's nothing between us. We're just classmates." Aomine kicked one of the stones that were in fact fragments of the old, crumbled pavement. This time, he did not sound half as sure of what he had said than before and Shino half-smiled, waving to Rio who showed up in the kitchen window and gestured for them to come for dinner.

"Yeah, sure." Shino started going back to Uzutani's apartment. Daiki joined him after a while of silence. "Did her grandfather warn you about using his air rifle on you?"

"So what if he did?"

"Nothing, just asking." The blonde grinned widely, tucking hands in his pockets. He knew that Daiki was threatened by the old man and the knowledge of that made him somehow happy. Whatever he had thought about Aomine being a bad boy or a player, he liked him. And the last time grandpa Uzutani threatened someone with using air riffle if he ever hurt his grandchild, was when Shino himself entered their home for the first time, as a colleague of Rio's brother, when neither of them knew they were both homosexuals. But grandpa Uzutani knew. And Shino was sure, that this time he had also seen what was yet to come. This man was hardly ever wrong. "So, Rio told me you were going to see some basketball match later."

"Yeah, my ex-teammates are playing in the quarter-finals of Winter Cup. I promised Satsuki that I'll go with her… Man, that damn woman won't shut up if I don't do what she wants."

"Oh?" He was surprised. Was there another girl in Aomine's life? He hoped not. He liked the idea of marrying him off with his _little sister_. "Who is Satsuki?"

"A pain in the ass, if you ask me," he said scratching the back of his head. "She's my childhood friend."

"I see," Shino almost gave out a sigh of relief when he heard that, a smile forming on his lips again. "You know, Rio really likes basketball."

And with that said, he was gone behind the staircase door.


	6. Lesson 6

Shout out to **Maudyna891** for a very first review of LT 3 Thank you very much again, it really means a lot!

* * *

 **Lesson 6. "When we quarrel, how we wish we had been blameless." - Ralph Waldo Emerson**

The atmosphere was kind of heavy, although the pink-haired girl seemed not to notice. She was walking in between them, constantly talking about how happy she was that she could finally spend some time with another female and that it was Rio. She really wanted to get to know her. Uzutani, however, was not even half as ecstatic.

Ever since they went to his apartment, so he could change into something more comfortable than school uniform, and met Satsuki there, who took it out on him for being late, Rio was even more withdrawn than usual. Daiki did not know if it was the effect of their earlier moment when she opened up in front of him and she was simply ashamed of showing her emotions, or if it was Momoi's fault because she dominated her with her blabbering about nothing. Hopefully, they would soon be in the stadium, the match will start, and she will shut up and concentrate on Tetsu's and that idiot Kise's play.

He felt a tug on his arm and stopped. He looked down at Satsuki, who grabbed his forearm with this offended expression on her face he knew too well and wondered what he had done this time to deserve another lecture.

"You aren't listening to me!"

"Yeah, so…?"

Satsuki pouted. He searched for Rio's help but she was not looking in his direction, her gaze glued to the stadium in front of them. She readjusted black beanie that slipped off of her ears. Another tug on his arm made him focus on his childhood friend again. He started feeling irritation rising in his body.

"I was telling you about Ki-chan's opponent." He shrugged his shoulders. Not that he would admit it, but he knew that whoever it was, loser model would beat him. He was not weak. "It's Fukuda Sōgō Academy."

"Cool. Why should I know that?" Aomine grunted, starting to walk again. He needed to buy something to drink before the match and Momoi was wasting his time. He did not have to look at her to know that she puffed her cheeks, eyeing him with a death threat in her magenta eyes. Well, not the first, definitely not the last time.

"Fine, you don't have to know! Just don't blame me if anything happens!"

She passed him marching straight on to the gate. He _tch_ 'ed. Angry Satsuki was unforgiving, and he was going to reap what he sowed later. Not that he cared. He was used to her mood swings after the lifetime of their relationship.

Rio came abreast with Daiki and looked at him with a reprimand but other than that said nothing. He furrowed his eyebrows. He did not like that.

"What?"

"Sorry," she said immediately losing her resolve, feeling guilty she judged him. "I shouldn't stick my nose in it."

"Nah, it's okay." He scratched the back of his head. "It's nothing abnormal for us."

"Then I'm sorry," said Rio, concentrated on not walking into other people. The closer they were to the gate, the more people there were. Apparently, the first match was over and that was why Satsuki was this easily getting angry. They were late for Seirin's match against Murasakibara, she missed the chance to see Kuroko's progress and she was lacing her frustration into him, as if it was his fault. He could not reject the dinner offer and did not regret anything. Rio's grandma was _a hell of a cooker_. He did not remember when the last time he ate curry this great was.

"Don't be. She'll get over it soon."

"I hope so."

Rio tried to smile, but it was hardly possible. She looked at him for a second before they entered the stadium, her cold hands clenched inside of the pockets of her black coat. She could not pinpoint what it exactly was, but something was weighing her down ever since they entered Aomine's apartment. She could not even muster up the strength to talk properly to Momoi, who was so kind to her.

Well, it was not her good day.

She followed Daiki to the buttery, looking around with curiosity painted on her pale face. She was inside the stadium for the first time, never really having time for that for that. When she was not working, she was studying or helping out at home, or sitting next to her brother's hospital bed and lately… Lately, everything was changing. But was it a change for good? Or…

"Stop fretting already." Suddenly, there was a can of cranberry Pocari in front of her face. Rio was surprised by this, so it took her a while to process the situation. She looked up at Daiki but only took the can in her hands after he shook it a little, hurrying her up. "I like it more when you smile."

He went past her and went into the stands direction. Rio was still standing there, Pocari in her hands, her onyx eyes wide-open, her full lips gaped, the temperature of her body suddenly rising up making her blush, something strange happening in her stomach. Did he really just…?

Aomine could not believe that something like this slipped his mouth but it was not the time to overanalyze it. He had never been afraid to speak his mind, so why would he be now? It was normal. He said what he felt like. He was not feeling weird about it. Not at all.

Not even a little bit.

Right?

He stopped and furrowed his eyebrows, suddenly on the verge of wariness. Although it was only for a brief moment, he was sure who he saw and realized what Satsuki was trying to warn him about. He turned around when he sensed Rio was not following him, alarmed.

"C'mon, we gotta go," he said a little bit louder than he intended and immediately looked at the man at the other end of a corridor, who was wearing Fukuda Sogo Academy's jacket. Their eyes met, and the black-haired reason of his tumult smiled malevolently, eyeing him for a moment before his gaze slipped a little bit lower. Aomine could see the madness lighting up in his eyes, irrespective of the distance and crowd of people separating them. The anger mixed with a sense of threat was vibrating in his veins as he stepped forward and shielding Rio, who was oblivious of a staring battle between the two ex-teammates, with his body, making a statement to his opponent. _Touch her, and I will remodel your face._

The black-haired man grinned even wider before he licked his thumb, turned around and headed wherever he was headed before he spotted Aomine, just as if he was daring him, telling him that he was not done with him. He clenched his fists and gritted teeth. _Maybe I shouldn't wait and just make him prettier now._

"Aomine-kun? Is everything alright?" Her soft, quiet voice helped him snap out, but before he pivoted he took a few deep breaths to more or less calm down. He looked her straight in the eyes, catching her off guard. Realizing how close they were, she froze.

"Just don't leave my eyesight and wander off alone anywhere, you hear me?" She nodded, because it was all she was able to do at the moment, still overwhelmed by the warmth radiating off his body and the intensity of his electric-blue stare. He closed his eyes for a moment and stepped back, sighing with relief. Rio felt dizzy, not understanding what was going on. And everything was even harder to process when he casually took her hand in his and started leading her to the stands. "Hurry up or Satsuki will kill us both."

He had bad feelings.

And so did Rio.

* * *

The match was really intense, although she hardly remembered anything of it. Even after he let her hand go, the warmth still lingered on her skin. She did not understand. Him. His behavior. And, what was even worse, she stopped understanding herself. She was losing grip on the self-control strings. She was letting her emotions get the best of her. She was forgetting about her promise not to let Aomine toy with her and she was doing exactly the opposite thing.

She felt like he could do anything with and to her like she would not even care or object to his behavior. His influence on her was more and more intense with every day they spent together and – to be honest – the number of those days had also been increasing. But what was even more terrifying to her, was that she not only played along, she actually wanted that. She awaited their meetings impatiently.

She longed to see him.

 _I'm definitely a masochist,_ thought she, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. He was looking indifferent, giving off the impression that his friend's victory did not make him happy, but she knew that it was not true. She could see that the corners of his mouth were slightly uplifted, she could see that look in his eyes. But so could Momoi.

Rio felt a sudden pang in the heart when her thoughts wandered off to the pink-haired girl. How could she compare herself to the popular manager? She was nothing like her. She was not well-liked. She was not as outgoing and cheerful. She was not on top. So why would Aomine act like this towards her if he had a perfect girlfriend right at his side? _Does he want to make Momoi jealous? Of me? And how could Momoi be so calm when Aomine isn't really hiding what he's doing?_

A short vibration in her pocket helped her snap out of her daze. She did not even realize they were moving towards the corridor where the locker rooms for players were, and that Momoi was vigorously sharing her thoughts about the game with her. She read the text from Shino saying that he was going to pick her up in ten minutes at the back door.

"Um, Momoi-san…" she started doubtfully, catching pink-haired girl's sleeve, not wanting to lose her in the crowd. "I'm sorry, but I need to go. Shino is going to pick me up, but could you tell me please where the back exit is?"

"Sure," she showed her white teeth in a wide smile. _She's probably happy I won't be coming back with them._ "You need to go back and follow the signs. I'm sure you'll be okay."

"Thanks. Goodbye."

"See you at school, Rio-chan!"

* * *

"Aominecchi!" Kise yelled out when he saw them. "Momocchi!"

 _And so it begins_ , thought Aomine as they were approaching the blond basketball player. He still was in his sport's uniform, so they must have caught him just after they had left the court. It was not like Daiki wanted to say anything nice to his loser model friend – as he liked to call him – and was not intending to congratulate him on his obvious victory but he had no other choice than to come with Satsuki in order to make it up with her for missing Tetsuya's win against Murasakibara.

"Ki-chan! You were amazing!" Momoi ran up to Kise, both of their bubbly and cheerful personalities melting into one.

"Thank you, Momocchi," said Kise lightly at first but then his voice became much more serious, "but I had to win against Shogo-kun. Putting aside my promise with Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi… Shogo-kun had to pay for what he had done."

"What had he done?", growled Aomine, the sound of Haizaki's name alone making his blood boil. He still remembered that look of madness in his eyes when he spotted Rio… _Rio?_ He looked around but did not find her anywhere near them. He cursed under his breath.

"He attacked Kagamicchi and his friends and…"

"Satsuki, where the fuck is Rio?" Aomine stopped him in mid-sentence, his electric-blue accusing stare targeting Momoi, whose brows were raised.

"Haven't you heard when she was saying goodbye?" No, he has not. "She asked where the back exit was because someone was going to pick her up there."

"I told her not to leave my fucking side!"

He pivoted and quickly made his way to the back entrance, hoping that he would be faster than Haizaki or that Shino – who he thought was that someone who was supposed to pick Rio up – would be there even before him. His heart was pumping blood violently. Aomine was trying to push through the crowd of people heading in the opposite direction, knowing that if she had bad luck and met Haizaki, Haizaki would take his chance to hurt her. And that, he could not take.

He finally got to the back entrance and slowed down only a little bit, enough to open the door with a flourish but without crashing into it. Fortunately, he did not lose his momentum, because what he saw would make him freeze in the place if he would not be already moving. His muscles tensed, right fist clenched tightly while left hand shot up in the air when Haizaki was in his range and caught his collar, tearing Shogo away from Rio, his fist automatically making its way to the other teenager's face. And when he felt Haizaki's jaw under his knuckles, when Haizaki fell down and when Rio was safe behind his back, he could breathe a sigh of relief.

Even if only for a moment.

" _Tch_." Haizaki looked up at him, anger and hatred in his eyes, teeth stained red with the blood flowing from his cracked lip. He licked his thumb, tasting thick metallic liquid on the tip of his tongue, still smiling eerily. "Why are you interrupting us, Daiki?"

"Get your fucking ass out of here. Right. NOW." Aomine's low, cold voice was soaked in fury that he was trying to restrain with a great effort, but his body was trembling, his hands balled in fists itching to hit Shougo again and again and again until his face was unrecognizable. God, he would do that so eagerly! "I told you to get lost!"

"Like I give a shit," Haizaki started to get up from the ground. "I can do whatever the fuck I want." Aomine was ready to blow up on him again when he felt a weak tug on the back of his jacket. It was Rio, who grasped the material in her cold hands. Suddenly, he felt a little calmer. He did not want her to be there right then and see him fight Haizaki. He took a deep breath.

"If it was basketball, I can't say anything regardless of what you do. But don't you ever dare to come near Rio or any of my friends again, you understand?" He furrowed his eyebrows, looking Haizaki straight in the eyes. "And don't interfere with their battle in any other stupid way. You can tell from looking how hard Kise or Tetsu have been working up until now. Don't do anything stupid, anymore."

"I see…" A mad grin on Haizaki's face grew even wider. His murderous intentions became visible to his eyes. Daiki's instincts kicked in. He moved right leg back, shifting his body weight onto it, ready to fend black-haired boy's attack off if needed. The fight was about to break any second. "Then I better go break them even more. I told ya' I don't give a shit. Unlike you guys, I don't give a damn about basketball. If you want me to give up, you better do it by force."

"As you wish, then."

Haizaki jumped forward, his fist up in the air, ready to land it on Aomine's jaw but the latter was faster. He blocked Haizaki's blow and made an immediate counter-attack, sending him to the ground once again. Shōgo laughed and got up, his left cheek getting swollen. Daiki tensed, ready for his next move, but Haizaki just looked at him malevolently before turning around and leaving.

"This time… You win."

Aomine watched his back for a while breathing deeply, feeling better only after he lost sight of Haizaki. He felt all of the emotions leave his body even if he knew that it was not the end. That his ex-teammate was not going to let that go this easily. But for now, she was safe.

He turned around.

Rio was looking down, so her fringe covered half of her face, but he could see the tears that were staining her red puffy cheeks, her lower lip that was swollen, a bit of blood in the corner of her mouth. She kept her hands pressed to her chest, her fingers laced together, knuckles white from the pressure she put on them. Her body was trembling, but this time it was not the matter of coldness.

She was scared.

Daiki lifted his arms to embrace her, trying to soothe her and without using words tell her that it was alright, that she was safe with him and that he was not going to let Haizaki hurt her… But as soon as his hands touched her arms, she pushed him away.

"Don't touch me!"

Her voice was shaking with emotions, her onyx eyes that were suddenly focused on him, glassy but sharp, observing him closely as if she was trying to predict an attack and dodge it in time. Once again, the glassy eyes of a roe deer that was in danger. That was the moment he started to understand. Understand, that she indeed was scared. But she was scared of him, not Haizaki.

And strangely enough, it hurt to know that.

"Rio… You're bleeding…" He pointed out, the feeling of guilt overflowing his blood system and leaving him unable to act properly, to think of some words to say in this situation. Uzutani splattered, furrowing her brows.

"I wouldn't be if your lovely friend decided not to bite me while kissing me out of the blue!" Another portion of tears flowed from her eyes, but these were not the tears of a scaredy-cat and a whiner. These were the tears of fury and hatred mixed together, only lined with fear. And the knowledge that the feelings behind the salty drips were pointed at him started his defense mechanism, the situation getting on his nerves. _She should thank me_ , the thoughts were running through his mind freely _, I saved her!_

"I'm sorry…" He managed to say, overcoming his pride and ego. But it was not enough for Rio, who was acting like a completely different person than he knew. This girl standing in front of him was strong-willed, tough and spoke her mind openly, even if it was only the doing of emotions and adrenaline buzzing in her veins. It was probably the first time she did that, not hiding behind her shyness. In the end, the best form of defense was to attack.

"Oh, it's okay! I'll just act like the last time someone enforced a kiss on me and tried to rape me! I'll just wish to forget and pretend it didn't happen!"

"Rio…"

"We're not friends, Aomine, so do me a favor and stop using my first name!"

"I helped you!" snapped he at her in the end, but Rio didn't even budge. "And I told you not to leave my fucking side before, didn't I? Still, you did! It's not my fault, Shōgo…"

"Oh, so it's my fault then! He thought I'm your girlfriend and wanted to get revenge on you hurting me! I didn't sign up for all of this!"

"Me neither, so calm down!"

"Calm down? Calm down? How am I supposed to do so? I was almost raped by some random guy who happens to be your ex-teammate. And what's worse, you acted like this too when I met you! You're just like him! Or even worse, because you're cheating on Momoi-san!"

Her words were like a mental slap delivered straight to his face with no warning. Cold sweat covered his skin that instantly got pale, the tumult in his bowels getting bigger and bigger.

"I'm… wha-? It's not… I didn't…," tried he to explain himself, to object, to apologize but what she said took him by surprise and left him completely speechless.

"I'm done! Ahomine!"

A black car pulled up at the end of the lane. Uzutani sent him one last look full of grief, disgust, and disappointment before pivoting on her heel and going into the car's direction.

"Rio!"

"I'm done..."

This time, her voice was calm, almost blank, no trace of feelings that were there only seconds ago. Was it the growing distance between them or the subsidence of emotions and hormones, he did not know. She readjusted her tube-scarf to hide the signs of crying from Shino before getting into the small, old Mazda and slamming the door behind her. Aomine saw her talking to the blonde for a moment before they drove off, leaving him there alone with his thoughts. He was restive, his muscles tensed and filled up with some new emotion he didn't remember existed. It was like if some tumult located in the pit of his stomach was the center of this uneasiness mixed up with helplessness, the need to do something, to punch a wall or to kick a can, and anger towards himself because he indeed was an idiot.

And that, he was really sorry for.


	7. Lesson 7

**Lesson 7. "** **When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future." - Bernard Meltzer**

She had been avoiding him for almost a month.

She had canceled all of their tutoring sessions. She had not been answering his phones nor text messages. For the first two weeks, she had always been leaving classroom first only to blend in with the crowd and hole up in a place he would not find her, and she had always been coming back only seconds before the teacher, so he could not catch her either way. She had somehow managed to trick Momoi and her _woman's intuition_ and avoid running into her as well most of the times, fast-talking her on the occasions she could not escape. Then, the winter holidays had started, and it had become even easier to hide away from the two of them in the Christmas and New Year's Eve fever. Especially because she had known from Momoi that they had been visiting their families outside of Tokyo, so she had not had to worry about meeting them out of the blue in the city.

Unfortunately for her, the New Year's Eve was nearing alongside with the end of the winter break and the return to school, and the problem was that she was not sure if she was ready. Rio spent her holidays working at _Uncle Joe_ 's and a few other minor jobs, using her free time to earn money that there was never enough of to pay for everything and make a decent living but now it was the time to make some serious decisions. Uzutani was still mad at Aomine (although _mad_ might not have been the best word, since the more time flew by, the less clear the cause behind that _madness_ was), coping with everything that happened through work, but she had to think about making the second attempt and asking Kurogawa-sensei to release her from her duty. Up until then, the teacher did not know about the canceled tutoring and she felt bad about it, while still remembering how the situation turned out the last time she had talked to him in regard of this matter.

She should not have gone with them to see that match. She knew that ever from the moment Aomine asked if she wanted to go, and yet she agreed because of a reason she could not name. The only one, the most logic and the most illogic one at the same time, was that she was in love with him… But she did not want to even think of that, least of all admit it out loud. Who was she to know how to love another person? Even if that person was such a jerk as Aomine was.

Or maybe especially because he was such a complicated person.

The day of the New Year's Eve came faster than she would expect it, or like it. The next day was still free of school, but then she had to go back. She sighed, cleaning one of the tables. Fortunately, it was the last one of her duties for the day since they were closing early, so she would be leaving in a few minutes. She could not wait until she gets home and crashes her bed. The thought of it was reassuring when she changed her clothes, bid farewell to her co-workers and went outside only to be met with cold evening air. She could think about everything she was worried about tomorrow.

"Ri-chan, ohayō!" Rio froze when she heard Momoi's voice right behind her. "I'm glad I caught you! I was afraid you've already left, and I didn't want to talk about that through the phone."

Was that it? Was she done? Was Momoi going to sock it to her, accuse her of seducing her boyfriend? Did she have anything to say in her own defense? Would Momoi be interested in what she had to say before ruining what was left of her almost non-existent reputation?

At that moment, her heart and her thoughts were racing each other, and the terror could be seen on Rio's pale face. But Momoi seemed too calm – happy, even – to be planning to do any of the things Rio thought she would do. Her magenta eyes were looking at Rio with that _it's-going-to-be-okay_ -kind of look. The orange-head took a deep breath that helped her come back to her senses.

"O-ohayō," stuttered she, feeling as if her mouth had not touched water for days. "What would you like to talk to me about?" Before she even noticed, Momoi grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her in the opposite direction than the metro station was. "Momoi-san? Where are we going?"

"You'll see!" Momoi sent her a toothy smile, her bubbly personality slowly calming down Rio's nerves. Whatever Momoi's reason for the talk was, judging by her behavior, it could not be anything bad, could it? "But first, I have to ask… How could you think that I and Dai-chan are a thing?"

"W-what?" Rio stopped in her track, completely dumbfounded by the sincerity and straight-forwardness of Satsuki's question. It took her a moment to process what she heard but when she did, she blushed so hard almost all of her face became as red as the ripest tomatoes. "Y-you… you're not? But I thought… I-I m-mean, I…"

"Don't worry, Ri-chan, I'm not mad!" Satsuki laughed it off and tucked a strand of her pink hair behind her ear, just before she took Rio's hand in both her palms. "I just wanted to let you know, that I'm nothing else to him than his annoying childhood friend! And the feeling is mutual… I couldn't be with someone like him! Besides, I have Tetsu-kun!"

"You're dating Kuroko-kun?"

"Well, you can say that," laughed she again and turned around, reassuming their journey to a destination still not known to Rio. The orange-head felt even more confused than at the beginning and could not think clearly. The only thing that was running through her head at the moment was the fact, that she was wrong about Aomine all-along. But did it really change anything? "Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I'm fully-supportive of you and Dai-chan!"

This time, Rio stopped so abruptly that it forced her hand out of Momoi's grab. Satsuki was surprised and so she came to a halt as well, turned around and saw Uzutani with her head down, her face buried in the material of her tube-scarf, her fists clenched so tight her pale hands became as white as the snow that was threatening to fall from the sky any minute. It was already dark outside but in the dim light of the street lamp, she could swear Rio was trembling. She was not saying anything, just standing there with her eyes shut and brows furrowed.

Momoi saddened, knowing what was going through the girl's head. She knew everything that had happened between Rio and Daiki since that moment in his apartment, including the events of the evening after Kise's match against Haizaki. She had to tease the truth out of him because he did not want to talk to her about what happened, but when she finally succeeded, she just had to help him. Even if he acted like a total and utter garbage, which she had socked to him already, he was too devastated to leave him alone…

"Ri-chan, I know everything that happened… And I really mean everything, but… He really isn't that bad. He crossed the line and I'm really sorry, but so is he. He barely talks to anybody, he barely eats and sleeps. We're worried about him. After Tetsu-kun won against Akashi-kun everything went back to how the things were at Teiko, before they had become invincible. Everyone came back to their old selves, including Dai-chan… It's only that he can't enjoy anything anymore because he's still beating himself up for what he did to you… He can't forgive himself for what happened with Haizaki and that they both hurt you… He really cares about you, Ri-chan, and I know that deep inside your heart you know that. And you care about him too, I can see it… So please, don't leave him."

Calm and quiet voice, so uncharacteristic for Satsuki, seemed to affect Rio and helped her settle down. She still could not look Momoi in the eyes, but she relaxed her muscles and stopped trembling. Her breath was slow and deep, her gaze fixated on Momoi's shoes. She swallowed and bit her lower lip, searching for the right words but none came to her. She did not know what she should do. What should she say? It all seemed like a dream that she could not decide if she wanted to wake up from. Was it a good dream? Or a nightmare? Who had the answers?

"He needs you, Ri-chan," Momoi decided to speak after a long while of silence. Finally, Rio looked up and straight into Momoi's eyes.

"I don't know what you want to hear from me, Momoi-san", her voice was quiet and tired, as if she had just given up on all of the hope in the world, "and I don't know what you expect me to do but I can promise you that the next time he calls me… I'll answer."

"Thank you, Ri-chan!" Momoi hugged her tight out of nowhere. At first, it felt weird for Rio, who was not used to someone else than her family being so close to her, but then she relaxed and gave back the hug, thinking that maybe, for the first time in what seemed like forever, she had found a real friend. "About that call…"

* * *

Although the surroundings were really noisy, and the chatter of people gathered at the hill was filling the air alongside with the sounds of New Year's Eve festive going on the downhill, the silence between them was overbearing.

None of them was ready for that. Not even in her wildest dreams would Rio suspect Momoi and Kuroko of plotting behind their back to set up a meeting and coax them into talking through all of their issues… But they did. Only neither of them knew what to say or where to start, so they were sitting awkwardly on the bench at the top of the hill with a clear view of the night sky illuminated from down below by the lights of colorful booths, waiting for the midnight to be chimed and the fireworks to be let off.

Rio tried to sink her face further down the tube-scarf as the cold wind blew past them, causing her to shiver. She hugged herself hiding her bare hands under her armpits, trying to warm them up. Of course, she forgot to take her gloves, again. Sometimes she really doubted her own intelligence…

"Ri-ekchem, Uzutani…" She jumped slightly, hearing as Daiki cleared his throat, trying to cover up the fact he wanted to call her by her first name. She noticed, but as her heartbeat increased and her cheeks blushed, she actually felt a little saddened by the fact, as if it was emphasizing the distance between them. Still, it was Rio herself that forbid him to do so, so she should not be this influenced by the fact. _But why does it feel so cold, then?_ , she refused to look at him, her gaze concentrated on her knees, but perched her hands at her sides on the bench and nodded lightly, so he would know she was listening to him. "I… I really am… Oh, fuck it!" His last words were nothing more than a barely audible whisper, as he stood up and moved in front of her, and bowed down. She looked at him surprised, her eyes wide with shock. "I apologize for being such a dickhead to you! I didn't want to hurt you, let alone scare you… I promise to straighten up and never put you in a situation like that again! I will protect you because the truth is… I… really li-…", he was choking on his words for a while, taking deep breathes to calm his nerves, to quiet down his raging heart. "I need you… So please, forgive me!"

"A-Aomine-kun," Rio whispered, feeling her eyes watering at the sound of his words. He was still bowing down in front of her, so she had no room to stand up, but she lowered her head and clenched her fists on her knees, a mix of feelings welling up inside of her. In the end, Aomine was not the only one who should have to apologize… "I-I'm really sorry, too…"

His head jerked up at the sound of her loud, yet slightly trembling voice. It was his turn to be shocked, but before he could stop her, assure her, that it was all his fault, the orange-head continued.

"After that match… I overreacted and attacked the person, who saved me… I got mad and said things I didn't really mean… And then I avoided you for so long because I couldn't look you in the eyes. Not because I thought it was all your fault, I was just ashamed and tried to run away from all of it, but I…", her voice quivered again and a few of the tears fell down onto her clenched fists. "I don't think you're like that guy back there, Aomine-kun, at all. You're a good person and I… I really want to help you, too! So please… Forgive me for being so rude to you! And thank you, for rescuing me… If it weren't for you, I-I…"

Rio could not hold it in any longer. All of the emotions came pouring out with the tears streaming down her bleary face. She was sobbing, trying to wipe away the salty rivers with the back of her pale hands, but it seemed like the more she did, the more there were… And Daiki could not stand to see her this vulnerable any second longer, feeling the tightness right in the center of his chest. This time, however, the tightness that accompanied him for the last month, felt somehow different.

It felt… warm.

He crouched down in front of her, encircled her in his arms and helped her up so that they were both standing, then drew her in a tight embrace, just like he did the last time she was openly crying in front of him. But this time, she did not stiffen, the alarm in her head did not go off… This time, the moment he pulled her close, she hugged him back immediately, resting her forehead just under his left collarbone. As his right hand was stroking her back still trembling from all the sobbing, his left palm rested on the back of her head. And it seemed only natural when his cheek nuzzled against her hair, his nostrils filled with her mild, fresh scent.

"It's okay… You can cry all you want…", _just as long as it's only me who you show this side of you to_ , finished he in his thoughts, blushing slightly, when her arms tightened around his waist and she moved a little closer, closing what little space there was between their bodies.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Happy New Year, everyone!" The sound of the fireworks being shot into the night sky filled the surroundings and the firmament was soon painted with all the colors of the rainbow, as the fireworks erupted high above the hill.

Rio – who seemed to stop crying by the time – moved back. As much as he did not want to, he let her do as she pleased. He promised not to enforce anything on her anymore, so it was his duty to suppress his selfish needs... But when one of her hands grabbed his sleeve shyly as her bleary eyes looked up at the sky, her flushed face struck with awe, as she watched the colorful show, he could barely restrain himself anymore. He was looking at her with his features soft, his eyes tender, his smile caring, as soft, as tender and as caring as neither Kuroko nor any other of their friends, who were secretly observing them from behind, had ever seen. Momoi wiped away a single tear of joy that escaped her eyes and hugged Kuroko's arm as she was smiling at the two clueless teenagers.

Daiki shook Rio's hand off of his sleeve only to catch her cold palm in his, big and pleasantly warm and laced their fingers together. She did not try to escape it, but accepted his heat willingly, causing his insides to stir with joy. Only after he noticed her cheeks getting even redder than they were a while ago, he shifted his eyes to the night sky illuminated by the fireworks, for the first time in forever feeling like he was right where he belonged… And with whom he belonged with.

"Happy New Year, Rio."

"Yeah… Happy New Year to you, too… Daiki."

He opened his eyes wide with shock, feeling the heat rising to his cheeks, as he looked down only to meet her gaze. He brought his free hand to her face automatically and caressed her cheek before brushing his fingers through her long wavy orange hair, and tangling them at the back of her head. It was as if the time had stopped for the two of them when they were staring intently in each other's eyes, unknowingly and little by little closing the gap between their faces which existence seemed ridiculously out of place.

"It's so, so romantic and beautiful," sobbed Kise. "Who would have thought our Aominecchi would grow up so fast?!"

"Quiet, or they'll hear you, moron," Kagami, who had been dragged into this by Kuroko, silenced the blonde.

"Hey, Kagamicchi, who do you think you're calling a moron?!"

"Why you, of course!"

"Shut up, both of you," Midorima growled in half-whisper, "I have no interest in spying on them, but if you want to do it right and live to tell the tale, better not let Aomine get a wind of you sniffing around, or else…"

"Don't worry, Midorima." Seijūro put his hand on Midorima's shoulder. "The two of them are so engrossed in their own little world, they didn't even notice when Murasakibara came up to them." The former captain of the Generations of Miracles smiled calmly, seeing as shivers run down the spines of the arguing three.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Kagami was the first to snap, but Akashi only kept smiling in return. They all looked in the direction of Aomine and the orange-haired girl, who Momoi and Kuroko named Uzutani Rio. They still did not notice the tallest of the Generation of Miracles, who was only a few steps away from them. And judging by the pace their faces were getting closer to each other at – carefully, as if they were subconsciously holding back, for whatever the reason – they would not make it before Murasakibara reached them.

"S-sto-!" Kise and Momoi reached out their hands as if they tried to stop Atsushi, but it was too late.

"Can you two just kiss already, Mine-chin? I'm cold and hungry, and there's food waiting for us at Kise-chin's place."

At first, they froze as they looked at Murasakibara with terror and embarrassment mixed on their faces, and then they jumped away from each other, having their moment ruined. Rio looked away while putting her hands over her chest in a futile attempt to calm down her racing heart. She had no idea what was going on and who was that enormously gigantic boy with purple hair who just crept up on them, unseen by any of them… She felt her face getting even hotter when her thoughts drifted towards Daiki and what they were about to do. And… it was not only her face that felt hot.

"Murasakibara, just what the heck are you doing here?"

"We were waiting for you to make up, so we could head back to Kise-chin's place."

"You want to tell me, that you interrupted…" Daiki stopped mid-sentence when he realized what had Atsushi said. He shot an angry look in the direction he expected to see Momoi and the rest of the Generation of Miracles, and they surely were there. "Just how long have all of you been stalking us?"

"Since the beginning."

Hearing Aomine's growl, she followed his gaze only to see Momoi and Kuroko, and several other people she did not know, looking at them with bashful, perplexed faces (well, at least most of them). They were caught red-handed and so there was no need for them to hide anymore. They simply started walking towards them, as if they did nothing wrong.

All she wanted at that exact moment, was to find a large rock and crawl under it… That was until she met a certain boy's red eyes, who was looking at her quizzically. His hair was two-toned dark red and black, his eyebrows thick and split in two. For a moment she felt as if she knew him… Like he was someone important – not now, though. It might sound strange, but she felt like if it was a ghost of her remote past that showed up in front of her or someone from her previous life that reconnected with her.

And she was not the only one.

Kagami came up to her nervously. The closer he got, the more resemblance to someone he once knew saw he in her features. No one paid attention to them, as Aomine was lecturing the rest of his friends, arguing with Momoi about them spying on him and orange-head. Kagami came to a halt in front of Rio, not breaking eye contact for more than it was needed to blink. He searched for signs of understanding, of realizing who he was, even if he tried to reason with himself that it was impossible, that she could not be who he hoped she was… But then, her eyes opened slightly wider, she straightened up, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Taiga," mouthed she almost inaudibly and he felt his heart flutter as his muscles tensed, his breath catching in his throat. Her name was all he could say in return. But it was not the name everyone else called her by. It was not even close.

"Matilda…"

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in her skull, so she closed her eyes while trying not to fall down, her hands squeezing her temples in an attempt to subdue the paralyzing sensation. She groaned when she felt all of her strength escaping from her body.

"Rio!" She heard a familiar voice of Aomine and felt his strong arms that encircled her upper body, making her feel safe, just before she lost consciousness.

Everything went black.

And in the midst of it, there was a young boy, not more than six years old, his hair two-toned, dark red and black, his eyes red, his eyebrows thick and split in two. He was covered in blood, scrapes, and bruises, crying and shouting something she could not understand.

And then, he disappeared.


	8. Lesson 8

**Lesson 8. "Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King Jr.**

"Are you sure it's okay for you to be here?"

"Yes, I'm fine. The doctor said it was alright for me to come to school…"

"… as long as a migraine wouldn't have happened again in the following twenty-four hours, I know."

"Yes, and it hasn't, so please, Aomine-kun, stop being such a worrywart," Rio smiled at him and closed her locker after changing her shoes for the school ones. "I really do feel great!"

The boy sighed as they took off to the classroom. Even though they still had a few minutes left before the bell, so they did not need to rush, Rio's steps were brisk. Not that he had problems to keep up since his legs were longer than hers, but firstly – the first lesson today was Math and he honestly hated it, and secondly – he was worried Rio would get that terrible headache she did not remember, again.

He sighed once more, looking at her out of the corner of his eyes. She seemed to be in her own little world, flipping happily through her notebook and revising material from the last lesson. _I guess it's true what they say… The less you know, the better you sleep. And, the more I'm worried._

Basically, from what they – meaning him, Shino, Uzutani's grandparents, Momoi, Kuroko, and Kagami – learned after she had regained conscience in the hospital, she remembered everything up to the moment they apologized to each other on New Year's Eve. After that, there was a black hole in her head. She did not remember them holding hands, she did not remember calling him by his first name, did not remember how close they were to kissing, did not remember Murasakibara interrupting them and did not remember Kagami nor Kagami calling her Matilda. After she had fainted, Aomine had carried her all the way to the hospital, where they'd called up Shino who came as fast as he could with Rio's grandparents. But not before Aomine had almost beaten up Kagami, blaming him for what had happened.

Not that he knew what was going on. Kagami refused to talk before he could verify what he thought was true. Daiki tried to make him spill it, but Taiga was set on keeping whatever he knew to himself, for the time being, stalling them with the explanation as simple as _I thought she was someone else_ , and Tetsu – of course – made sure Daiki would stop pestering the light to Kuroko's shadow about it. That was why, for the time being, he had to give up on learning the truth… If there was anything to learn at all. After Kuroko dragged Kagami home, Shino and Uzutani's grandparents told the other two about the terrible migraines that Rio used to experience when she was younger but had gotten infrequent in the process of time. If Kagami was telling the truth, then it all had been just a mere coincidence.

"You're sighing a lot today," Rio did not look at him, still concentrated on her notebook. "If it's about me, then, please… stop, okay? I really don't want to be a burden to you…"

She flashed him a smile and he sighed again, rolled his eyes and put his hand on her head, ruffling her hair teasingly. Rio slowed down so much that she almost came to a halt, looking at him with a puzzled expression, only a light hue of red staining her cheeks. He adjusted his pace to hers, never breaking the eye contact for even a second.

"Next time you think about yourself as a burden… I'm gonna flick your forehead, hard, you hear me?"

All Aomine got in response was a quick nod as Uzutani tried to hide a smile by pursing her lips tightly together.

"Good," said he while looking away to hide his embarrassment, the reaction caused by Rio's cute attempt to cover up her joy. He sped up a little thinking that even if she did not remember the events of the New Year's Eve completely, Rio felt and acted much more relaxed (bold, even) in his presence. And he would be lying if he were to tell he did not like that. "Hurry up or we'll be late!"

"I'm coming!"

* * *

The noise of the school cafeteria seemed to be overbearing at first, but Rio soon got used to it. She tightened the grip on her bento box as she was looking around the place. Usually, Rio did not use the school cafeteria and ate her home-made lunch in the classroom or some quiet-almost-deserted place, where she did not have to worry about where and with whom to sit. Because, even if it was not a teenage movie, it still was high school, after all, thus the hierarchy existed. With her lack of friends and reputation of a poor nerd, it was best if she simply avoided the area. Now, however…

"Ri-chan, over here!" Satsuki shot up from her seat as soon as she saw Rio, waving her hand high in the air. Rio smiled back at her and came over, sitting next to the pink-haired girl. "The boys will be here in a moment, they had to stop by the coach's office. I'm so thrilled you're eating with us today! It's so nice to have some female company, at last!"

As usual, Momoi attacked her with a torrent of words, but this time she actually did not mind. After their talk on the New Year's Eve, Uzutani felt at complete ease in her company.

"Well, thank you for the invite."

"How are you feeling? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's perfect, thank you… And I'm really sorry for ruining your New Year's Eve. I know from my grandparents that the three of you took me to the hospital when I blacked out…"

"Don't worry about it! You're our precious friend, so it's natural we'd take care of you!" She grabbed Uzutani's hand and arched her lips with a comforting smile. Rio felt pleasant warmth flowing through her body, while her eyes watered. She blinked the tears away, feeling genuinely happy. "But there were four of us – Dai-chan, me, Tetsu-kun and…"

"And no one else, the rest of them stayed back." Aomine, who showed up out of nowhere, interrupted his childhood friend and sat down across from Rio. He sent Satsuki a meaningful look and she instantly grasped the situation. They were not supposed to bring Kagami up yet. They had promised that to her grandparents who were worried something about the red-haired boy, his words or actions, had triggered the migraine.

"Oh, right, you're right!"

"So, this is the infamous Uzutani Rio." The rest of the team showed up with their lunches and sat down at the table, saving Momoi. "I'm Imayoshi Shoichi, third year, former captain of the team. Nice to meet you and I hope you'll take good care of that moron over there." He pointed at the team's ace, who – surprisingly – only glared back at Imayoshi, but used no words. "As much as I don't want to admit it out loud, the team could use him."

Rio laughed, bashful.

"Nice to meet you too, senpai. I'll do my best."

Courtesies were exchanged as the rest of the squad – Susa Yoshinori, third year, and Wakamatsu Kōsuke, second year, the current captain – introduced themselves to Rio. Sakurai Ryō, she had already known since they were in the same class. Also, Sakurai was one of the few people in the school who had been nice to her from the day one, regardless of her social status.

"Oi… is it your grandma's curry?" Aomine asked, his eyes glued to Rio's freshly-opened bento box. The divine aroma was spreading through the air and wetting his appetite. Suddenly, his own cafeteria-bought lunch (two pork buns, a miso soup and two red-bean paste onigiris for dessert) didn't seem quite as delicious. Before orange-head could answer, his chopsticks dug into her bento and transported a portion of white steamed rice mixed with sauce, meat, and veggies in perfect proportion straight to his mouth. The food almost melted on his tongue. "It sure is."

"Aomine! Stop stealing other people's food!" A vein popped and pulsed on Wakamatsu's forehead as he reached his hand over the table, trying to stop Daiki from whisking away another scoop of Rio's lunch, but failed miserably.

"No can do, it's too good." Another bite.

"Wakamatsu-senpai is right, leave Ri-chan's food alone!" Momoi tried to take the bento away, but he had predicted it and snatched it away, his reflexes much faster than the team's manager was. "Dai-chan! Ri-chan is hungry too, give her food back!" _Ri-chan_ , however, was sitting there silent and quite uncomfortable in the ruckus they made over her lunch, her lips bowed in an awkward smile. She seemed not to know where to look or what to do with her hands. But somehow, it all felt delectably welcoming, the almost forgotten joy of spending time at school like that reliving inside of her.

"Actually, I don't mind, Momoi-san," there was a quiet laugh that escaped her lips. "I'm glad Aomine-kun likes it so much."

"See, Satsuki?" Daiki pointed his chopsticks at the orange-head. "That's a true friend and a girlfriend material! You should ask Rio to tutor you, so maybe you'd finally get a boyfriend and stop pestering me about everything. And I won't let her starve, she can have my lunch."

Momoi folded her arms and pouted.

"I have Tetsu-kun, thank you very much!"

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Dai-chan baka!"

"Are we in kindergarten now, Satsuki?"

"Fine, Ahomine! Better?"

"Oi!"

"You asked for it yourself! Ahomine!

Rio smiled. She could really get used to it.

* * *

The door of the library closed behind them.

Aomine stretched and yawned. He was absolutely beat after a whole day of school and then a tutoring session with Rio right after. At the moment, his main objective was to get home, crash the couch and binge-watch TV – preferably not alone, but he doubted the orange-head would follow through with this plan… That is if he had enough courage to actually ask her out. For the moment, he was still testing the water, trying not to pressure her too much into something she might not have wanted in the first place – especially that his place was where they had their very first lesson together and where he… well, where he screwed up badly.

"You're going to _Uncle Joe_ 's?" Regardless of the month-time break they had in their meetings, he was quite familiar with Rio's usual weekly schedule. _Uncle Joe_ 's was not that far from the school building, a fifteen-minute walk, but it was in an entirely different direction than his home was. Still, he was willing to postpone his initial plans and accompany her to the workplace, just to spend a little bit more time with her.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he ignored it.

"In a while, yes." She looked up at him, her pale slender fingers clenched tightly on the shoulder strap. Of course, she had forgotten her gloves yet again, a fact that couldn't go unnoticed by Aomine. "But I start my shift at six, so I still have some time… I want to visit my brother."

"I see." His phone buzzed again. "Which hospital?"

"The one you took me to on the New Year's Eve." He nodded and didn't stop for even a second when they had reached the school's gate – a place where she expected them to go separate ways. He turned in the direction of the hospital, just like that, glancing at her astonished face over his shoulder only briefly.

"Aren't you coming?" Daiki slowed down a little and reached his hand back, towards her, but did not dare to observe her reaction, as if not wanting to startle her. It was only a part of the truth, though, his cheeks dusty pink and his heart beating slowly yet somehow anticipating… something, being the other reason.

He could hear her quick footsteps when she was trying to catch up and soon he felt her ice-cold fingers gliding through the inside of his palm, only to be intertwined with his and pushed inside the pocket of his parka while still in the warm tight embrace of his big hand.

"Geez, you should wear gloves, like, all the time."

"I know."

"Your hands are like blocks of ice."

"I know… Sorry."

"It's not like I mind being your personal heater, though."

She gasped, not knowing how to respond to that, nervousness and joy and something warm filling every inch of her body, so she just tightened the grip on his hand and moved a little bit closer unconsciously. Both of them were looking on the road ahead of them, both of them hyperaware of each other's comforting and comfortable presence, simply enjoying the silence that fell upon them.

There was another buzz of Aomine's phone that got treated the same way as its' predecessors.

"Shouldn't you get that?" She asked when the vibration was followed by another one, this time signaling an incoming call.

"I'll call back when I see you off at the hospital."

"But it might be something important…"

He sighed.

"Will it calm you down if I check it now?"

"Yes."

He used his free hand to fish the phone out of his other pocket. It was silent by the time, but he glanced at the list of missed calls and was surprised to see _Bakagami_ on top of it. He proceeded to check the text messages and almost came to a halt when he read what said Bakagami wanted from him. He weighed up his options quickly, sent a short message back and resumed walking, Rio automatically following.

"Everything okay?", asked she after a while, looking up at him with a troubled expression. His mood seemed to darken suddenly, and she was genuinely worried.

"Yup," he seemed to snap out of his daze hearing her voice, as he sent her a half-smirk. Aomine took a deep breath, only to choke the next words out at an uncharacteristic speed. "Can I take a photo of you? I want to have a contact pic in my phone book."

"S-sure." The question bedazzled Rio, as the heat rose to her cheeks. They stopped in the middle of the empty walking lane, their hands still connected in his parka's pocket, their bodies facing each other, as Aomine lifted his phone up and turned the camera on. "What do I do?"

"Don't have to do anything, just smile. Your smile is perfect."

"You're saying a lot of embarrassing things today, Aomine-kun…" Her voice was bashful yet accusatory. "How can you, with a straight face?"

"Because I'm telling the truth?"

"S-stop it, please, or I won't be able to relax…"

Regardless of her words, he managed to snap a few good shots before a thought occurred in his mind. He followed it before his courage dissipated into thin air.

"I have a better idea then."

He pulled their hands out of his pocket and untangled them only after he pulled her close and she bumped her shoulder into his chest incidentally, not prepared for whatever he was trying to do. Before she could process what was going on, he moved her in front of him and encircled her shoulders from behind with his free hand, feeling the heavenly pressure of her back against his body as he rested his chin on top of her head without having to slouch unduly. Even their heights seemed to fit together perfectly.

"Say _cheese_ ," commanded he while lifting up his phone taking several selfies, and Rio did as was told, too baffled to object – or even think straight – by his closeness and his arm around her shoulders, the hardness of his muscled chest against her back being felt palpably even through the material of her coat and his uniform, his parka obviously being unzipped. The more aware of the fact she was becoming, the louder her heart hammered inside of her chest. "That should do it."

Aomine entered the photo gallery and showed her the best shot, still not letting her go. She could barely focus on the picture, wondering how she could look so caught off guard yet happy with her eyes unfocused and glistening with astonishment, her lips slightly parted and bowed in a smile wide enough for her dimples to show, when all she felt was this strange fire in the pit of her stomach that only Aomine could ignite and that made her somehow ashamed of her body's reactions. She wasn't stupid – she might have been dense when it came to relationships, but it was a high time for her to admit that she was attracted to him in a way she had never felt about anyone else before. Just mere holding hands with him was sending her to her happy place, and although she would sooner die than admit it out loud – or even only to herself in the confines of her mind – she did not hate the idea of being more intimate with him. Of course, _thinking_ about doing something and actually _doing_ it were two completely different matters, but still, it was the most confusing part about her inclination towards him, especially because of how they had started off on the wrong foot almost two months prior and because of the assault his ex-teammate had attempted on her and everything that followed. That was the reason why Rio was poised between what her head knew and what her heart wanted, her indecisiveness keeping her at bay and from moving forward even with Momoi out of the picture. Besides, there was this petrifying fear of being rejected and losing whatever it was they had going on... Even if – for all that she knew – it could be just a mere illusion.

Her eyes finally focused on his photographed face, that was staring back at her with steadiness in his pupils, a confident half-smile on his face. Combined with his chin rested on top of her head and his arm encircling her protectively yet possessively, his posture seemed to send a message that she belonged to him solely. Part of her wanted to believe the way the picture showed it was true, while the other half argued against it, giving her a reality check. Again, she was puzzle-headed.

Mathematical problems – that she could solve in no time.

Interacting with people – Aomine specifically – was a completely different story, particularly when taking into account her background. The accident that had left her parentless and with a responsibility to provide for her closest family, had also taken friends away from her. That, plus her experience with her peers at school combined with her overthinking and overanalyzing nature resulted in some deep-rooted trust issues. It was also the reason why she had a hard time believing that something good could happen to her.

"I'll send it to you." Uzutani felt his jaw moving as he spoke. He fulfilled his words and hid his phone in his pocket as her mobile buzzed inside her school bag. "We should probably get going if you want to visit your brother before work."

She nodded, moving his head alongside with hers, but none of them made any other step.

It took them another few silent seconds before they drew apart and continued their journey, this time heavy atmosphere creeping up on them, their empty hands swaying awkwardly at their sides to the rhythm of their steps. The cold wind blew past them, cooling off their heads that were almost emitting smoke from all the overthinking. _Can I take his hand again? Would he mind? Did I scare her, hugging her out of the blue like that and taking a photo of us? Did she want that? Was it too much?_

Thick clouds were covering the whole sky, hiding the setting sun and threatening with a snowfall any minute. Rio sighed, a small puff of steam escaping her lips, and as she thought that she must have developed a Stockholm syndrome of some kind and lost her mind, she closed the distance between them and grabbed his hand shyly, staring at the tips of her shoes. Daiki shifted his hand a little bit and Rio's first instinct was to withdraw, thinking that she overstepped some boundaries because he did not want to be _her personal heater_ anymore. As her hold loosened, however, the boy swiftly closed her freezing palm inside of his, lacing their fingers together and just like that shoved them back inside his pocket, but not before the very first snowflake this winter had landed on top of their joined hands, melting away almost immediately and – as she imagined – taking all of her insecurities with it.

 _If it only were that easy_ , thought she, mustering up the strength to look up at Daiki, who must have felt her gaze as he locked eyes with hers instantly. After a quick observation of her face clouded with worry, he brought his hand to her forehead, touching it with his index and ring fingers, the middle one bent and kept in place with his thumb.

"Cheer up, or I will make my threat come true and flick your forehead," Aomine smirked with his brows uplifted. "We don't want that now, do we?"

She shook her head as she let out a quiet chuckle, somehow finding the situation amusing. He took his hand away, the sensation of his warm touch still lingering on Rio's skin, as more and more snowflakes were falling down from the clouds, yet not fast enough to cover the ground with the thinnest blanket of snow before withering away. With the temperature this low, however, it was only a matter of time…

Just like it was only a matter of time before she would open up to him and trust him completely – because deep down her soul she let herself believe that, putting aside their past, he wouldn't hurt her anymore. She chose to have faith in him, even though a single thought that time alone would tell and verify her hopes and wishes lingered at the back of her head.

* * *

Rio waved at him once more before disappearing inside of the enormous building of the hospital, leaving Daiki alone with his thoughts. It took him a few more seconds to fish his phone out of the pocket. There was another notification about a text message from _Bakagami_ on the screen. Being half-curious and half-worried about Kagami's reasons for his request, Aomine almost immediately opened it.

His lips pursed as every fiber of his body trembled with annoyance caused by the Seirin's ace. His question was simple and understandable – he wanted Rio to trust him, so it was his responsibility not to abuse that trust – yet all he got in response was _'Just please, I need it.'_ No reasons were stated, the courteous inquiry of the blue-haired teen ( _'Why the fuck would you need that and why the fuck would I give it to you?'_ ) left unanswered. Yet, he opened his photo gallery and picked one of the pictures of the girl that he took during their walk to the hospital. Just before sending it, though, he changed his mind – he deleted the photo message to his _rival-slash-friend_ and re-entered the gallery, this time choosing the photo of Rio being held by him. If Kagami thought that Aomine was marking his territory, then good. Up until then, every question about what had happened on the New Year's Eve between Rio and Taiga was ignored, unanswered or put off. Sure, Kagami had promised he would explain everything later, after reaching the clear view of the situation and obtaining all of the information, but as for the moment and for all Daiki knew, he might have needed the photo to jerk off to. The sole thought was ticking him off even more.

Still, he typed a few words under the photo – a friendly warning of _'You owe me. Use wisely'_ – and pressed the send button, listening to some saner part of his subconscious (that – no surprises – sounded like Tetsu), telling him that whatever the truth behind it all was, it might be of help not only to Kagami but also Rio herself. That was why – for now – he decided to trust him.

He just hoped he wouldn't grow to regret it.


	9. Lesson 9

**Lesson 9. "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." - Hellen Keller**

"Really? Only an E? Aomine-kun, we've been practicing that question so much," said she worriedly, her slim fingers still holding his pop quiz the teacher had surprised them with the day before. "You've even said you get it…"

"Because I've had it then." His unfazed reply was the only reaction he intended to give her, and he signalized that by crossing his arms on the desk and laying his head on top of it, looking through the window. His long legs spread forwards bumping into Sakurai's chair, making the boy jump slightly at the unexpected move. He said nothing, though, already used to his classmate's behavior and returned to analyzing his own pop quiz. Rio sighed quietly, knowing that it was the end of the conversation for a while, let alone trying to take the chance and use the lesson for the pop quiz amendment as Kurogawa-sensei said when he gave them back.

It had always been like that. Or, at least, since the time that Kurogawa-sensei and Harasawa-sensei, the basketball team's coach, connived with each other to sit her in the back of the classroom next to Aomine. She had no idea how they had done it, but somehow, they had managed to convince the usually very strict and reluctant to change anything class teacher to go with their plan. And so, she had been observing and interacting with him during classes for the last week, getting used to his presence and involuntarily learning all of his behaviors and habits, and their meanings. Sure, she had had some pretty good insight before, but Aomine during classes was different than Aomine during their tutoring sessions, or the lunches at the cafeteria, or when he was seeing her off at work, or at the hospital.

She looked again at his pop quiz, her brows slightly furrowed, her cheek propped up on the palm of her hand. The red "E" was underlined by Kurogawa-sensei three times, as if he had wanted to emphasize something – but was it the fact that Aomine actually qualified or the fact that she was failing as his tutor, she did not know.

Rio was tracking Aomine's train of thought through the equations he tried to solve, seeing that, actually, it wasn't all that bad. His logic was quite right from the beginning, but it started going south from the point where the absolute value showed up. She sighed again, noting in mind to revise it with him once more on their next studying session.

"Uzutani-chan." Rio jumped at the sudden presence at her side, looking straight into the blackest eyes she had ever seen. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"A-Ah, Souta-san!" She looked at the boy startled and blushed a little. Her classmates might had been a little friendlier to her since she started tutoring _that_ popular basketball player and became friends with Momoi – _the_ basketball's club manager, but she still was the very same poor, plain Uzutani living the low-life in the Tōō Academy, invisible to most of the students, tolerated by few and despised by the rest of them. "It's okay, I just spaced out a little bit."

And then, there was Souta Issei, who seemed not to be bothered by all the things – most of them untrue – he had heard about her. He smiled at her.

"Could you help me, please? I don't know how to solve a few equations properly and Kurogawa-sensei is busy with helping out others, so…"

"Sure thing." Rio lifted the corners of her full lips, her cheeks still painted in pink. The boy pulled the empty chair to her desk and sat next to the orange-head, their legs bumping into each other. He chuckled awkwardly saying sorry but didn't move back and Rio… Rio could not decide what to do. Should she recoil? Or should she stay put? She was not comfortable in this position, yet she did not want to offend Souta.

She focused on the sheet of paper instead – the third and probably the safest choice – which happened to be his pop quiz with a C mark. She glanced at his calculations and quickly came to a realization that he also had problems with the absolute value. Well, not as big as Aomine's were, but still, they had it in common. She started to explain his mistakes, sitting there, shoulder to shoulder with him, their thighs almost glued to each other, his warm presence making her a little bit fidgety.

"Wow, you surely are amazing!" Souta looked at her with sheer amazement in his eyes when she finished her explanation. "And you make it sound so easy! No wonder you've got the highest score!"

"I-I'm not… I..."

"Oh, don't be so modest!" He smiled sweetly with his eyes closed and she felt her heart skipping a beat as she was watching him from such a short distance. She noticed how long his lashes were and how genuine his bone structure was. Along with his medium-length brown hair it made him look almost angelic. "When someone compliments you, you should just say thank you!"

"T-Thank you?"

"Almost. No need for a question mark there but don't worry, we will work on that. In return, you could help me improve my mathematical skills. How about this Thursday?"

Souta, the corners of his mouth still up, patted her on the head making her blush furiously but he suddenly stopped, his hand still stretched out, his eyes focused on someone behind her back the moment she felt that person's intimidating presence. The black eyes became somewhat darker as the happy expression vanished from his face.

She gulped, getting chills from the sudden change of the mood.

"Go find yourself your own tutor. She's mine."

Hearing his hoarse voice made Rio's heart lose it's rhythm as her cheeks became even redder than when Souta's hand was touching her hair. Her body stiffened, unlike her insides that began squeezing and stirring. Her brain was mulling over his words over and over again, feeling the wave of heat laving over her. Aomine's statement was heard loud and clear, reverberating throughout the class that suddenly became completely quiet, all of the eyes fixated on them, but Rio seemed to be the only one who actually noticed it, both of the boys shooting daggers at each other.

"I believe she doesn't belong to anyone. Besides, I asked her, not you."

Souta stood up and whipped his wrist away from Aomine's grip. She was still sitting between them, her face hidden in her hands, the feeling of being between the devil and the deep blue sea getting even more intense.

"Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays she's tutoring me."

"Then I hope you won't mind if she spends the rest of the week with me."

"I do-..."

"STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!"

She jumped to her feet, making Souta back away a little as she sent an angry look both to him and Aomine. Her face was neon red, she was panting as if she had been running for a long time, all of her force put into standing there on her trembling knees. Then a cacophony of whispers broke the silence, making her feel even smaller and weaker. The tears threatened to fall from her big round eyes, almost crossing the line of her thick lashes but still, she stood tall.

"I-I'm right here, you know?" Even though her posture was straight, her voice came out a lot quieter and less confident than she wanted it to be. Thankfully, the school bell rang, and she could leave the classroom almost running, both Aomine and Souta looking after her with guilt written all over their faces.

Kurogawa-sensei shook his head in disbelief.

"You two grow up, would you?"

* * *

The hallways were filled with students by the time she reached the music classroom on the top floor. It was empty, except for the students' desks, the teacher's pulpit and the instruments that were lined up at the back of the room. She sighed a sigh of relief as she slid the door almost shut. She needed to calm down and in order to do that, she needed to be alone, even if only for a short while.

She looked around. On the blackboard, there were notes so neatly written, that it could only be Aruba-sensei's doing. Rio took a better look. _Debussy's 'Claire de Lune'_ , she recognized almost instantly, _that takes me back_ … A faint smile graced her lips as she made her way to the back of the classroom, where a piano stood in the corner. She sat down in front of the instrument hesitantly, her hands shaking when she was opening the fall. A flush row of white and black keys shone brightly and inviting in the daylight. Rio flexed her fingers over the keyboard and then immediately clenched them again. The tip of her tongue brushed her bottom lip before she bit down on it, her eyes shut and her breathing calm and deep. She wanted to play – to see, if she still remembered how to – but there was this giant wall in front of her separating her from her previous life – the life before the accident, and it seemed to be impassable, too high to climb over, too thick to break through. Music had been a huge part of her personality back then, but her beautiful love for it had to be stopped when the conditions changed. At the moment, she had been suppressing it for so long, she just couldn't bring herself to play anymore.

She exhaled, releasing the air she had been holding in for a while, feeling his presence in the room as soon as she heard the door being slide open and close. Rio didn't even budge, open her eyes or turn around – by then, she would recognize the sound of his footsteps even in a crowded place.

"You play?" He sat down next to her on the bench, their bodies sticking to each other. His warmth and closeness, however, were so much different and much more welcomed than Souta's. The fingers of his right hand pushed some random keys, but the false sounds made her cringe, so he stopped, looking at her face.

"I used to," was her answer. She tilted her head back and opened her eyes slightly, her gaze focused on the empty sheet holder.

"Why did you stop?"

"I've… had to, but it's a rather sad story."

"You can tell me."

"I know," her voice was weak, "but right now, I'm kind of mad at you."

"I know," that was why he had left almost immediately after her and tailed her frantically, pushing through the crowd of students heading to the cafeteria for a lunch break, who overflooded the corridor in the few seconds of her head start. Rio's anger was completely different than that of Satsuki, or any other person he knew, including himself. Except for the situations when someone would step on her toes really bad - like the one time after Kise's match against Haizaki, when he had personally experienced her wrath – she would either retreat into herself, the silent treatment and the disappointment in her eyes being the only indicators that there was something wrong, or – like in the current case – just search for solitude to calm down while quietly suffering, trying to restore the energy that dealing with people's _stupidity_ drained her of. The knowledge of him being the reason why, was making him sick to his stomach. "And I'm sorry. I just… Souta's a jerk."

"He's been nothing but nice to me." Aomine didn't have an answer to that, but Uzutani didn't expect one. She closed her eyes again and rested her forehead on his arm – the action that took him by surprise, yet not more than the next words that came spilling from her lips. "I haven't felt comfortable with him so close, though."

"And you're comfortable with me?"

"I'm surprised myself." Her soft chuckle that almost drowned in the sleeve of his uniform's sweater, her warm breath felt through the material, made the hair on his neck arise as the shiver ran down his spine. As Daiki grabbed her hand resting on her lap, his heart skipped a beat and then pumped blood with a loud yet steadfast rhythm. He was way past the wild-almost-painful-throbbing inside of his chest. Although he still didn't have the full picture, he was just calm and sure, the clarity of his feelings increasing with every passing day. "I haven't played since the accident."

"Rio…"

"You already know about our situation after the accident. I had to provide for my family, so I had to set my priorities straight and give music up completely. But there's more… My parents and Reo… They'd been driving for my diploma concert at the art school when it happened. They hadn't been supposed to, because there had been some issues at the company, but I was so sad they wouldn't be there, and I couldn't hide it from them… So, they wanted to surprise me." Rio trembled, her words quiet and shaky. She wasn't crying, although the sadness was filling her body to the brim. Her fingers clenched tightly onto his hand in search of comfort that he provided her with by reciprocating the gesture and nestling his cheek into the top of her head. "Now, I know it wasn't my fault, but sometimes I can't help but wonder, if it weren't for me and that stupid concert… Maybe they wouldn't have-"

"You don't know that," he interrupted her, "You can't."

"But…"

"As you said, it was not your fault, and I'm sure that no one blames you, so you shouldn't either. They wanted to be with you because they loved you and they wouldn't have liked the idea of you beating yourself up over the accident that you had absolutely no control over, and they would have hated the idea of you refraining from doing what you love because of that."

What he said, made perfect sense – at least it would, if she weren't in that fragile state of mind at the moment, where she was balancing on the thin line between falling apart yet again and holding on to those last strings of self-control that were still in her hands, keeping her together. Daiki backed away a little only to encircle her in his arms. She melted into the hug and as her face sank into his chest, she inhaled his aroma, feeling safe, and wanted and… well, _loved_ would be the word.

"You okay down there?" He half-joked, looking down at her head that moved slightly up and down in confirmation. "Then stop stalling and play something."

"I don't know if I can."

"You can."

"But…"

"I know it's not easy, but you can do it. You _want_ to and you _should_. You're allowed to have some time for yourself, you know? Other way, you'll go crazy. There's much more to life than just work, school and tutoring me, whatever the circumstances. So, just play."

His voice wasn't demanding – if anything, it was that tone of _I don't give a fuck even if I really care_ that was characteristic for him – yet she found herself unable to defy him. She stopped hiding her face away from him and looked up at his smiling face, sending him back a faint arch of her lips as she untangled herself from his hold and turned around to face the piano, and when the tips of her fingers grazed the keys lightly she was surprised not to encounter the wall that had been there a few minutes back. The realization, though, didn't lessen her nervousness even for a bit. Her insides were knotted, an ice block filling her stomach as she pressed the first key, and then the other one, and the next one, the sounds creating a melody that seemed to drown out her chaotic thoughts and help her calm down, relief and endorphins overflowing her as the melody of well-remembered Debussy's 'Clair de Lune' grew a bit more complicated and faster. She felt the familiar pain of cramps in her stiff fingers, the resonance of two years without any practice, but she did not stop playing until the end.

Only then, when the room fell silent, she looked at her hands astonished with how good it felt to suffer contractions of the fingers after such a long time. And how good it felt to have him by her side.

She faced Daiki, who was smiling at her widely and genuinely and something stirred inside of her, the warmth that spread throughout her chest melting away all of her insecurities and doubts, this time for real, making her feel as if the great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Rio wasn't sure how he managed to do that – to bring everything she'd been bottling up for so long out and then, with just a few words or a simple gesture, make her feel better, scattering her loneliness alongside with all the dark thoughts. It was as if he had some magical ability to quiet down her world whenever it became too loud, even in the situations when it wasn't him who turned up the volume in the first place. Whether he did that on purpose, or accidentally, didn't really matter. He was like a cure that no one and nothing else could provide her with, proving to her that even the heaviest burdens and the biggest hardships were easier to endure when shared with someone, than when borne alone.

For that, she was thankful beyond words.

She acted on an impulse when she leaned towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, her chin resting on top of his shoulder. She could tell it surprised him – usually it was him who would initiate physical contact one way or another, and when they hugged, her arms would always hang around his waist because that way, she seemed to have some control over the distance between their bodies instead of clinging to him due to him being taller – but he quickly regained self-assurance and closed her inside of his arms as well.

And then, the two heartbeats synchronized.

* * *

"Listen up, everyone!" The class teacher clapped her hands a few times trying to draw the students' attention to herself as soon as the classroom door slid shut behind her. The chatter died out almost immediately, as the teenagers returned to their seats. "As you know, in three weeks' time the exams will be held. The official schedule has been issu-"

The door opened and closed, interrupting Furuka-sensei, whose annoyed gaze found the culprits instantly. With her lips pursed into a thin line, she shook her head in disbelief. Aomine being late wasn't surprising in the least – if anything, him showing up at all was astounding. Uzutani, however…

She knew it was a bad idea to sit her in the back of the classroom next to him, making them spend almost every minute of the school day together. Sooner or later, the boy's bad habits have had to rub off on her best student – it was inevitable – and the teacher didn't like that. Especially that she was perfectly aware of the looks they'd been giving each other ever since that _irresponsible_ Kurogawa asked Uzutani to tutor Aomine. He was going to defile _her poor innocent genius_ and she had no means to stop it – not unless it was too late, and the orange-head's grades suffered, giving her grounds for an intervention. Firstly, because she was a professional and thus, could not mingle with her students' private life. Secondly, because she had promised Kurogawa and Harasawa to let the teenagers sit next to each other (because – apparently – they thought Uzutani was a good influence on Aomine) in exchange for a date with one of Harasawa's friends. Now, she wasn't proud of that, but a woman in her thirties had her needs – especially a single one who still lived with her mother.

"I'm sorry we're late, Furuka-sensei," Uzutani panted and only then did the teacher notice the teenagers' flushed cheeks, heavy breathing and dilated pupils. A vein popped on her forehead as she took out a pile of sheets from under her arm and clenched her fingers, crumpling the paper. _Either they were running or doing something very inappropriate_ , thought she. _Knowing them, it could be both, but it's Aomine's personality that's stronger so they were probably doing indecent things… No, no, no! Uzutani wouldn't let that happen! But… Aomine's so tall, and muscular, and handsome…_ Her imagination reacted quickly, a certain scene from one of her favorite romance novels – including a very intimate making-out session in the school's cubbyhole – popping in her mind, the teenagers substituting for the original characters. Furuka sniffed, feeling a drip of blood coming down her nostril as she readjusted her big circular glasses to hide her face that felt hot, her thighs pressed tightly together. _Now, that was highly unprofessional._

"Hand it out, both of you, and then take your seats."

"Y-yes. I'm really sorry."

Rio took the papers in her hands and gave half of it to the boy, who sighed in response, not really looking at the sheets. He just wanted to get it done quickly, return to his desk and sleep through the rest of the homeroom hour. Rio, however, was much more curious and as she was handing out the papers to her classmates, she was reading the contents little by little, the uneasiness growing with every line she got through.

"As I was saying," Furuka-sensei reassumed after she calmed down a little, "the exam week is coming. In three weeks' time, you'll have your first taste of how the A-levels at the end of the high school are. Uzutani and Aomine are giving out the schedules, where all the details are stated. Each and every exam lasts for ninety minutes and includes both single choice test and open-end questions, just like the end-of-term tests in July and December were. The difference is, however, that you could score zero on the tests, but you need the score of thirty to pass each exam. The results should be known at the end of February. If you don't meet the criteria, you'll be obliged to participate in special courses during the spring break before the new school year starts and retake the exam. Should you fail, you won't be promoted to the second-grade. Any questions?"

Although the class was buzzing with hushed voices, terrified whispers and disheartened grumblings, no one spoke up, most of the students studying the papers in front of them. They had known all of that since the first day of school, the teachers making sure they wouldn't forget about the threat lingering above their heads, but it was only when they had seen the schedule with their very own eyes, that it truly sank in.

Rio took her seat with the last piece of paper in her hands, the first position on the list: _Mathematics exam – 6_ _th_ _of February, 10:00—11:30, gym_ , making her nervous. Three weeks. She had three weeks to stuff Aomine's head with all the knowledge he needed to pass the mathematics exam – the theory, the formulas, the practical use… _Everything_. In three weeks. And not only did he need to acquire the score of thirty correct answers. He needed twice as much, or else he would be banned from basketball.

Because of her. Because she was not competent and professional enough.

"Umhm-…"

She started feeling dizzy. Three weeks were nowhere near enough and it was her fault for avoiding him for so long. Well, he was to blame as well, of course, but Aomine at least tried to reach out to her, while all she did was severing ties and all forms of contact. Now, it was time to reap what she sowed. Now, she needed to do _remarkable_ job, because _good_ was not going to cut it anymore, and she still couldn't be sure about the outcome.

"Oi, stop worrying," she heard his half-quiet voice coming from the desk on her left, "I'll be fine."

"Now, on to the better news," the voice of Furuka-sensei quietened down the rest of the class, her next words bringing a light of hope into Rio's world. "Since the week prior to first and second-year students' exams is dedicated to the final examination of the seniors, no lessons will be held at that time." Rio clenched her fists, a new wave of determination filling her body. Whether he liked it or not, they had no choice. "Please, use that spare week to revise the material and prepare yourselves properly, so you lot would score higher than the mandatory level."

That, they would do.


End file.
